The Laws of this Land
by RosieShiba
Summary: Tudor inspired story. She met him when she was just the daughter of a traitor, now she's next in line for the throne. In the ever changing world of politics and Kings, she needs him and he needs her; not that they'd ever admit it. IS.
1. I

**Hi everyone! Once again I'm back with a new story. I've actually started to write again since I've enrolled on a Masters Degree in Writing. I'm not promising updates on this story, more of a when I can fit it round my other work sort of thing. **

**I'm currently addicted to the Tudors series and decided to write my own sort of Tudor England fanfiction. Still unsure what rating to give this but it is a T for now but may go to a M. ****Since the Tudor period was so bloody, there is a fair amount of blood in this chapter. There are a few swear words too, so please be warned. Please no flames. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!**

I

The first time she saw him, his cold obsidian eyes flashing over her like she was his prey, she felt a ripple of nausea wash through her almost making her wretch. He'd been sat in front of her, his hands resting on the table top, fingers meshed together tightly, his eyes staring into her soul. She sat opposite him on a small wooden chair, no cushion, her fingers nervously winding the fabric of her dress round her fingertips, her front teeth gnawing her bottom lip.

"Do you understand why you are here, Lady Dawn?" he asked calmly, in fact so calm she thought it would have been better if he roared at her. But he sat across from her, his face hidden behind that plain mask he constantly wore, his lips in tight, thin line.

"Yes," she said, then added: "Sir."

"I believe that your father has been sheltering some traitors," he went on, pleasantly as if he was commenting on the weather. She tried to keep a blank face but her eyes betrayed her shock at the accusation. Her father had been housing some 'friends' as he called it, but not traitors. His eyes flickered around her face then, slowly, deliberately, he got to his feet. His hands now settled behind his back as he walked around the room, his heeled boots clicking on the stone floor. He circled Dawn like a bird of prey, his steps constant. Click. Click. Click. "Do you deny this?"

"I am sorry, my lord," she muttered in reply, "but my father's business is his business. I do not ask him, he does not offer details."

"Has he had guests?" he asked the moment she stopped talking. She nodded once. "How many?"

"I do not know, sir," her reply was weaker this time. Her voice trembled with fear because this was one answer she knew she could not hide. He sensed this, stopping behind her and then stepping close to her chair, his mouth lowering to her ear so he could whisper:

"Are you sure about that?"

It was almost intimate and despite her situation, Dawn blushed at how close he was to her. She was eighteen, a widow none-the-less but that wasn't unusual for a woman of court. Her mother was thirteen years older than her, her father nearing sixty. Dawn had married young to an old man who died soon after the wedding. She received a large sum of money for her pension, all funds taken from her by her father. She squirmed as his hair brushed against her neck.

"Yes."

"How many?" Now his voice changed, darker, angrier, but still intimately whispering in her ear.

"S-seven," she stuttered.

"No more?" Soft again, still too close.

"As far as I know."

He drew away, circling her once more. She glanced up at him as he walked the other side of the table in her view. Her eyes met his, the coal black melting into her soul once more. A tear, solitary, rolled down her cheek. He stopped in his tracks once more, looking down at her with a strange expression on his face, as if he couldn't believe she had broken already.

"You're frightened?" he asked.

"Wouldn't you be in my position?" she replied. He inclined his head coyly: touché. He pulled his chair across the stone cobbles then sat down, hands once again on the table. She watch him as he raised the meshed fingers to his mouth, elbows propping them up. His face lit up with a sadistic looking smirk, his eyes searching her once more.

"Lady Dawn," he said slowly, his hands blocking his mouth so she couldn't see his tongue lick his front teeth as he 'L' in lady, "if you help me, I will ensure that no harm comes to you."

"There were seven people," she spluttered, "that's all I know, sir."

He nodded. His hands dropped back to the table top. Then they snaked across the table, rising so that he could cup her chin with his right hand. He forced her to look at him then tilted her face to right, her eyes never leaving his.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked.

"Y-yes," she stammered. He turned her head to the left gently, her eyes remaining static despite her head swivelling.

"Are you sure?" he asked, this time gentler than before.

"Y-yes," she repeated. What happened next she hardly knew. Her nose impacted with the hard wood of the desk, her neck pinned down on the edge with the corner biting into her windpipe. She felt his hand firmly on the back of her neck, applying enough pressure to make her groan. His grip lightened ever so slightly, signalling he was walking round the table to stand by her side. She felt his hot breath on her ear, his hair tickling the top of her head.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Sir, please," she squawked, breathless. He released her neck so she could inhale a large gulp of breath. She could feel something warm trickling from her nose across her top lip and into her mouth. Blood or tears, she couldn't decide which it was although she was sure she was both bleeding and crying at the same time. "I beg you, I don't know anything."

The force increased on her throat once again.

"What do you know?" he asked, louder this time, his mouth not so close to her ear.

"NOTHING!" she yelled. Her voice scratched the back of her throat, it being louder than she expected. "I know _nothing_."

He let go of her, resuming his place in his chair as if nothing unpleasant had occurred. Meanwhile, Dawn pushed her upper body off of the table, eyes pouring with tears as she stared across at the man across from her. He watched him pull a white cloth from the inside of his ebony jerkin. He flicked it in the air above the table then passed it to Dawn. She didn't know what to do at first, then she reached out and grabbed it. Before her fingers could brush the white lace, he pulled it away from her grasp.

"What is your father planning?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she replied, more tears spilling out over her cheeks. "I swear..."

He was bought by her honesty, passing her the piece of cloth gently. She snatched it from his hand, pressing it against her nose and wincing. The chair across from her creaked once more against the stone cobbles of the floor and in a flash, he was beside her again. She glanced horrified at him as he leant against the table by her elbow. He cupped her chin with one hand again, brushing her hands away from her nose. He tilted her head this way and that way again, now inspecting the damage. His other hand reclaimed the handkerchief from her bloodied fingers.

"Do you know what it feels like to be on the rack, Lady Dawn?" he asked, once again pleasantly.

"N-no, sir," Dawn said, eyes popping out of their sockets. He tilted her head backwards gently, then pinched the bridge of her nose with the other hand. The handkerchief turned scarlet as more blood flowed into the fabric. The vibrant colour tantalizingly beautiful if it wasn't for the fact it was coming out of her nose.

"It is horrible," he said, "the rack. You can here the bones of the victim cracking, creaking until -" he yanked her head downwards roughly "- snap. The bones are ripped from the ligaments and the victim screams in agony."

"Please, sir," Dawn said, a fresh wave of tears flooding down her cheeks. He watched her for a moment then he ran his thumb across the soft skin of her cheeks to wipe away the salty droplets.

"Shush," he cooed now, like she was a baby. "Shush."

Her eyes closed tightly, more tears escaping down her face. Her body heaved with a sob, then another, the another. He watched her, calculating, as her forehead crinkled up as she openly sobbed. He pulled the handkerchief away from her nose inspecting the damage once more. The bleeding had stopped for the moment, the flesh around the organ was pink and swollen, her teeth painted red. He ran his thumb now over her lips before swooping down to claim them with his own.

She gasped as he deposited a chaste kiss on her mouth, the tears stopping in fright more than anything. Her whole frame went rigid for the split second his lips were on her and remained that way as he straightened up once more. His eyes locked onto hers once more, a small, sadistic smirk crawling across his face as she stared at him in complete awe.

"Women are such weak things," he commented. "Give then a smack and they cry. Give them a kiss and they stop."

"And men are assholes," she retorted, her mouth speaking before her brain had time to comprehend the words they were forming. "Bullies and brutish."

A stunned silence hung in the air until he gave a hearty laugh. It rolled from his stomach, growling like a bear at first then escaping his lips with a large smile. When he was done, he titled his head to the side once more.

"Sweet Lady Dawn," he said, "I should hit you again for that."

"Then do it," she challenged, "it would only add evidence to my argument. I would expect no less."

His hand flew out, grabbing her hair in a claw like motion. He clamped round her midnight blue tresses and pulled her up onto her feet. She grunted in agony as the roots were tugged from her scalp but she didn't fight him. Her features scrunched up in pain, her teeth attacking her bottom lip again, this time drawing blood. He pulled her so her face was close to his.

"Open your eyes," he demanded. Slowly her eyelids opened and her sapphire blue orbs reappeared. "Now tell me what you know about your father."

"There were seven men," she spat at him, spraying his pale skin with blood. "And you're an asshole."

"Finally," he growled, "someone with the balls to say that to my face."

i

The whole affair of Lord Berlitz treason was one felt by all members of the King's court. It had everyone shaking in their expensive leather boots at one point or another. His plot had been quickly discovered, his accomplices rounded up and hanged for all of London to see. Lord Berlitz had the single pleasure of being hung, drawn and quartered while his pale wife watched, eyes filled with horror as her husband suffered one last torture before he was allowed to rest. She was pardoned after seeing her husband's head put on a spike over Tower Bridge but exiled from court while her pretty little daughter was left in the grip of the wolves.

Dawn Berlitz had very little to do with anyone after her father's demise and subsequent execution. She knew better than to poke her head up and demand attention at times like this. The last thing she wanted was to suffer at the hands of the Lord Privy Seal, Paul Shinji, again. Being locked in an interrogation room with him once was enough for her, the less she saw him the better.

He had kept his distance from her, thank the heavens, ever since that day but if their paths ever did cross, he would shoot her a haughty smirk, just enough to make her blush at the things she had said about him that day.

Asshole. She had never called anyone that before. Being the daughter of a Lord meant that she had a reputation as a Lady to live up to and calling someone a crude name like that just didn't do well for her. She was thankful she didn't end up on the scaffold for calling the Lord Privy Seal such a name. He was one of the most powerful men in the country, he could have signed a warrant for her arrest and trial quite easily.

But he didn't. In fact her had chuckled warmly at her then released her from the interrogation room. Her mother, at one time on the executioner's list, was now removed from scrutiny and allowed to take up exile in a small manor house in Yorkshire, a very small pension for her new found widowhood. Dawn wasn't sent away, for reasons she couldn't quite decide: either as a further punishment for her mother or a punishment for herself. Perhaps she was a hostage. Perhaps the Queen really enjoyed her company.

In any case, Dawn found that she didn't really mind being abandoned a Court under the watchful eyes of the King and his ministers. It proved to them that she was up to no harm, like her mother. She went about her business as one of the ladies waiting on the Queen, diligently working to ensure all the needs of the regent were well catered for.

The Queen; beautiful, glowing, French, was a well liked woman. Her name, despite being foreign, was odd: Leaf. Queen Leaf. It didn't quite sound right and she often joked that her children should bear odd names like Prince Tree, Princess Rock, Duke Pebble, but in reality it was a nickname she had been given when she was a young child. Elizabeth was her real name but due to her older sister's lisp through their childhood: Lizzie became Leafy, Leafy became Leaf. The Queen was young. With one son and a daughter in the Royal Nursery already, she was a strong a steady consort to the King of England. Heirs were power. Power was life.

"Lady Dawn," the Queen would say pleasantly, "come over here and play card with me."

And that's what Dawn would do without hesitation. The pair would sit in the corner at a small round table, gold goblets of wine by their pinkies, giggling like maids as the card game was usually abandoned for the better pastime of gossiping.

Today found Dawn and the Queen sat beside the fire, sowing steadily as they laughed about one of the Duchesses having the ugliest dress they had ever seen when the male usher entered the room.

"The Lord Privy Seal, your majesty," he announced clearly before stepping aside to let the man in question enter the room, his usual leather file of documents clutched close to his chest. His eyes rested on the Queen immediately and walked in her direction. The other ladies bobbed into curtseys, heads down. He has eyes like the devil, the youngest, May, would say whenever he left the room, never to his face or if he was anywhere in earshot.

"Ah, my Lord Privy Seal," the Queen greeted him graciously. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Forgive me, your majesty," he said, stopping short of the chair where the Queen and Dawn were sat so he could bow lowly, "for the intrusion. May I?"

He glanced at a spare space beside Dawn and opposite the Queen. Leaf nodded graciously, pointing to the seat in a welcoming sort of way. Dawn glanced at the Queen wondering if she should go elsewhere and make herself busy but the look on Leaf's face told her to stay put. As the Lord Privy Seal sat down beside Dawn, a half glance in her direction to ensure he was not sitting on her gown, Dawn busied herself in her sowing, pretending not to listen.

"I come with information, your majesty," he said steadily. Calm, like always. "It is regarding one of your former ladies, a Lady Ashton?"

"Zoey?" Leaf asked, her eyes straying onto Dawn who paused at the name. "What about Zoey?"

"She is in the Tower over speculations of witchcraft." Something had entered the Lord Privy Seal's tone that Dawn had never heard before. It was almost like he was struggling with what he had to say next. The Queen merely nodded. "Pending her trial, she will be burned at the stake."

"Oh my," Leaf said. She crossed herself quickly, kissing her hand when she finished.

"The King is worried that Lady Ashton may have... infected other ladies in her majesty's household. He would like me to interview your ladies -"

Dawn slipped, driving her needle into her hand rather than the cloth. The motion made her drop her sowing onto the floor. It fluttered to the right, landing on the Lord Privy Seal's boot. She raised her hand instantly to her face, tears welling in her eyes at the pain, the taste of blood in her mouth once again. The Lord Privy Seal bent down to pick up the sowing, placing it on his lap before reaching into his jerkin to produce a handkerchief for her to borrow. He did not hand it to her right away, gesturing for her to let him have a look at her wound before she wrapped it up. She removed her hand from her lips, gently placing it in his. He looked at the needle prick, running his thumb over the small puncture hole, smothering blood over her skin. After a second or two, he dabbed her hand with the handkerchief then pressed it down.

"The good news, your majesty," he went on as if nothing strange had occurred, "is that Lady Berlitz seems to not be a witch. She bleeds red, not black like the scholars tell us."

"Oh good," the Queen said, her hand fluttering onto her chest over her heart. He now let go of Dawn's hand, letting her cradle her injury.

"If you be so kind as to allow your ladies to come to my office so my clerks may ask them some questions, at your majesty's leisure of course," he said, bowing his head. Leaf nodded.

"You may take Misty, Serena and..." she looked up to see who else she could spare, "Iris too."

The ladies in question straightened up when they heard their names being called, all of them rising to their feet slowly, each tight lipped, nervous. Master Shinji got to his feet, hand steadying Dawn's needlework on his thigh as he bowed again.

"Majesty," he said. He passed the sowing back to Dawn then walked from the room, signalling for the other ladies to follow him back to his offices where they would be interrogated.

"Are you quite all right, Dawn?" Leaf asked as soon the Lord Privy Seal vanished from the room with her ladies in tow.

"Yes, your majesty," she mumbled, "I slipped."

"I saw," Leaf replied, amused. "Tell me, what has Master Shinji done to get you so worked up about being alone with him?"

"Oh, your majesty, I'd rather not-"

"I insist."

Dawn chewed her bottom lip as the Queen resumed her sowing, her eyes darting between Dawn and her pattern.

"When my father was on trial," Dawn said carefully, "I was requested to give evidence to Master Shinji."

"And he used which methods?" Leaf asked. She grinned rather like a cat, her lip curling round insinuating the worst sort of thoughts. Dawn looked down at her sowing, finding that some blood had dropped on the fabric, staining it.

"He banged my nose on the table and pulled my hair until I cried," she mumbled, loud enough for only Queen to hear. The Queen stopped her sowing, her smile gone, a new concerned look adorning her features.

"What will he do to my ladies?" she asked simply.

"He didn't seem to be taking this seriously," Dawn replied. "His clerks will handle your ladies. He only deals with traitors and heretics."

The Queen nodded, not completely convinced but she neglected to say anything else. In fact she went back to her sowing as if Master Shinji had never stepped into the room.

ii

May looked positively frightened as she was walked towards Master Shinji's office. Visibly shaking, pale, she was a nervous wreck. If it wasn't for Dawn, whose arms she clung to, she may have fainted on the spot just outside the Privy Chambers. Dawn, sensing it was now or never, urged the scared woman into the room, looking round for someone to tell them where to go.

She became aware that five pairs of eyes were suddenly on her and May but it was seconds later when someone actually walked towards them, humbly with their cheeks red and their head bowed.

"Lady Maple, Lady Berlitz," he said, "Please come this way."

Dawn hesitated as the clerk lead them to a secluded room at the far end of the office but as she hesitated, the Lord Privy Seal just so happened to walk into the office, brushing past her satin skirts. He looked down at the skirt, then up to her face.

"Lady Berlitz?" he asked. She looked at the white faced May, what little colour she had in her face now disappeared at the arrival of Paul Shinji. He waved his hand to tell his clerk to take May into the office and interview her, then turned to stare at Dawn. She hurried to curtsy for him, lowering her head to avoid his piercing stare. "Come."

Her head shot up throwing a questioning stare at the man as he walked towards his own private office in the opposite direction to where May been taken. Dawn followed, nonplussed but silent, her head bowed as she walked past row upon row of clerks, all clad in black. As soon as she stepped into Master Shinji's private office, he closed the door. She looked at him, lips parting, dying to ask him a question but losing all courage to do so.

"How is the Queen?" he asked her, moving past her to take up his seat at his desk. Dawn watched him walk across the room, noticing that he seemed to glide effortlessly with strong strides. At his chair he stopped, turned and sat in one motion, his head rising to look at her. He was waiting for a reply.

"She is well, thank you," she said. He pointed to the chair in front of his desk then smirked at her hesitance to do as he wanted. Eventually she walked over the seat and sat in a ladylike manner, hands resting her lap.

"Do you hear from your mother?" he asked, pleased she was now seated. His attention from her slipped, instead he picked up a quill, dipped it in the ink pot then began writing elegantly curved letters on a piece of parchment.

"Not as often as I would like," she admitted. "I fear she would get lonely living on her own but it seems she is far too busy to write."

"A lady should not be idle," he said. His eyes flickered up to see her reaction but there was none. "She holds up after the loss of her husband?"

"Yes," Dawn replied – no thanks to you she wanted to add.

"And the house is to her liking?"

"As far as I can tell. Please, my Lord Privy Seal, may I enquire to the health of Lady Ashton?"

"No, you may not."

"Why? Did you put her on the rack?"

His head snapped up at this, his eyes narrowing dangerously at her. He placed the quill in the ink pot then laced his fingers together.

"His Majesty the King takes witchcraft very seriously," he said steadily. "He authorised the Duke of Rochester to use whatever means necessary to stop the evil of magic spreading."

Dawn gaped at him: "So she-"

"Is being handled like a traitor, yes."

"Oh my," she said, crossing herself, tears burning her eyes. "And then is she to die?"

"Regrettably."

"And where did the... accusation of witchcraft come from?"

"She consorts with lady folk in a carnal way," Master Shinji said. "Rochester claimed it was unnatural, said the 'w' word and here we are now. The King does not like witchcraft."

"Poor Zoey," Dawn muttered.

"Did you ever suspect-?"

"No," Dawn gasped. "On my life, I thought she was... She had a male admirer in court."

"Did you share a room with her at all?"

"No, I share with May," Dawn replied quickly. "Zoey slept in the same room as Candice."

Here Master Shinji nodded grimly: "I feel I was too vicious with you last time I asked you questions. You are far too honest now."

He pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and hurriedly began writing a letter while Dawn looked on, trying to see what was being put down. She couldn't see the words but she could tell that the handwriting was neat, well structured.

"I am writing to Lady Snowdon to tell her to leave court for the time being," he said, feeling Dawn's eyes burn into the back of his head. "Until the King calms down."

"I see." But she did not. "Do you go against the King often?"

His head snapped up again, eyes piercing her skull in an icy stare. He got to his feet before she even realised it, striding towards her. She went rigid, fearing that he would whack her nose against the desk again. Instead he crouched down to hiss in her ear.

"Say that again and you will follow your father's footsteps. Understood?"

She was about to say yes when the door to the office flew open. Master Shinji straightened instantly, only one person daring to walk into his office so carelessly. His reactions weren't fast enough and the King got a good eyeful of his Lord Privy Seal whispering into the ear of Lady Berlitz.

"Your Highness," Master Shinji said, sweeping into a bow. Dawn hopped out of the chair, scarlet in the face, then curtseyed low to her monarch. The King grinned at the pair.

"What is going on here?" he asked, pointing at them both. "Whispering in her ear, Paul?"

"Your Majesty, I was just-"

"I know, I know," the King said happily. "Whispering sweet loving words to your sweetheart? I wondered why your door was closed, Paul."

"Yes... Your Majesty..." Master Shinji said slowly. Now he was in for it. "I was actually interviewing Lady Berlitz here on another matter, the one your Majesty requested."

"Oh?" the King asked. He gave an over emphasized wink in the Lord Privy Seal's direction causing Dawn to raise her hand to her mouth to stop herself from choking. "I see." Now he whispered, "but you said your clerks were handling that."

"She's a prime suspect," Shinji replied instantly. Dawn turned her head towards the older man, eyes wide in shock.

"If there's a prime suspect anywhere, it's you," she snapped. "I thought you were going to smash my head onto the table again."

"Oh? This is unexpected," the King said, now folding his arms over his chest. He raised a regal eyebrow at his most trusted servant, his smile disappearing. "I didn't realise you had a mistress, Paul. I thought you kept no secrets from me, I am after all your King."

Sometimes Paul Shinji's age was reflected by the way he looked at the King, as if the younger man was a child, dumb. Being almost thirty years of age to the young King's twenty-four did very little for the Lord's patience. The King was childish, he only cared about parties, women and his own vanity whereas the Lord Privy Seal never had any of those luxuries. He had to bring himself up in the world and stay afloat on the ever changing political seas, no matter the cost he would survive.

He turned to look at Dawn, grimacing over what had just happened but neither willing to correct the King, after all _no one _corrected the King of England on _anything_. Even if he said it was raining on a beautifully sunny day, you would agree. If he called a servant, or a Duke for that matter, by the wrong name, it was forever changed. Sensing this, the Lord Privy Seal placed his hands behind his back, glancing once more at Dawn before letting out a small huff of air. Dawn forced a pleading smile onto her face, her legs buckling slightly.

"We are... sorry your Majesty?" she said, grimacing ever so slightly. She looked up at Master Shinji's expression. It was easily readable: What a fine mess we're in now.

**I have to admit, I was hoping for something a little bit different when I started this story, more angst, darker, but it came out rather comical in the end. I always feel sorry for Paul.**

**Please let me know if you liked this or not. **

**RSx**


	2. II

**Hi everyone. I've decided to keep this to a T for the time being and have toned it down a little. I was so glad that people enjoyed it. Thanks to your continued support!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot**

II

Paul Shinji had been born into poverty; that made him a man of very low birth. He had managed to raise himself out of the throngs of the slums, learn and build up a vast amount of wealth; that made him greedy. It occurred to him when the Old King passed away three years before that no matter what he did in the world, he would never be good enough. If he was always going to be the worst then surely he should make the most of it. No body ever put any pressure on the worst people, every task completed was met with astonishment, sometimes a little bit of praise. He used to be poor, never stupid.

It had also occurred to him that sometimes wealth did make people's brain go a little soft. The King was as rich as they came and possibly as dumb as they were made. When putting two and two together, he made ten or five or whatever number he wanted because, what the hell, he was King. How the Queen put up with him was a mystery.

"I hear you've got a pretty little filly," said a voice from the office door. The Lord Privy Seal look up, half heartedly into the eyes of the only Duke who had a brain: Norfolk. The green haired Duke flipped his hair in a haughty way that made a sneer appear on Shinji's face. His expression darkened and he returned to reading his documents. "Where have you been hiding her?"

"No where," Shinji replied. "The King assumed-"

"You were-"

"We're not."

"If the King says..."

"We're not."

Norfolk grinned at this for a moment then started forwards towards the Lord Privy Seal's desk, sliding into the chair the Dawn had occupied hours before. He placed his feet up onto the desk, leaning back in his chair. Annoyed by this, Shinji reached out and pushed the boots off of the table, causing the Duke to wobble as gravity claimed his feet.

"I hate to tell you this, Master Shinji," Norfolk said pleasantly, "but if the King says you two are... coupling then you'd better start... coupling. You never know, a good fling may do you good."

"And you are the expert on that," Shinji commented. "I am, however, not interested in Dawn Berlitz."

"Oh, so it's Dawn?"

"If you're going to make fun of me, please leave," Shinji said, his hand pointing to the doorway. The Duke gave a pleasant laugh.

"Leave when I finally have something to tease you about?" he asked. "Who would have thought that the great, highly respected Lord Privy Seal would have a soft spot for a young, beautiful daughter of a traitor?"

"Enough," Shinji said but this time he grinned. He could see the irony in it all, really. He was thankful, however, that King Gary, as young and proud as he was, had a forgiving heart. The sins of the fathers did not alienate the children or wives. As young as the King was, as the Master of Seals thought pleasantly, he was learning to be a great leader, a sympathetic one who did not hurry to war or hurry to rash decisions. He had wept openly when Lord Berlitz had gone to the gallows, begging his Lords to change the execution method, make it quick he had said but the letter had gotten lost somewhere in transaction. The poor Lord Berlitz. His screams jolted Paul awake some nights, each shriek yelling out for his wife, his daughter too.

"Aside from coming to poke fun at me, my Lord Norfolk," Shinji said, "what can I do for you?"

"I came to ask your Lord to put it to the King to hold off on our summer progress," Norfolk replied. "There are reports of plague in the city. The King's health could be put at risk if we were to embark on progress."

"London does stink in the summer months," Shinji agreed with a nod. It wasn't pleasant. The Thames, green with waste, steam rising off of the waves in the baking heat. The thought of it made him shudder. "I'll put it to his Majesty tomorrow morning."

"He listens more to you on this matter than anyone else," Norfolk commented. "You are his most faithful, loyal -"

"You flatter me far too much," Shinji said, lips curling into a smile once again at the shared joke between them. He suddenly became humbled by a thought, his eyes swirling with some new emotion. "He rises whom he pleases and one day, he will let them drop as quickly as he rose them. He will tire of my nit picking, my baby sitting and on that day I will either be a head shorter or living out of a gutter in the streets of London."

"Which would you prefer?" Norfolk asked.

"I was never fond of hats," Shinji replied. Norfolk didn't laugh at this, merely nodding once. His ringed fingers stroked his neck idly for a few minutes then the smile returned.

"Cheery," he said. He rose out of his chair, bowing his head. "Good night, My Lord Privy Seal. I bid you fair dreams of Lady Berlitz."

"Good night, Lord Norfolk," Shinji said with a nod, "I would bid you sweet dreams too but I know you better than to sleep at night."

"Ahh," Norfolk grinned at this, now walking across the room. He paused at the doorway, looking back at his old friend with a comforting smile adorning his lips. "Please do not worry yourself about the future, Paul. If the worst comes to pass, I will ensure your head will be buried with your body or at the very least, mine will be on the pole next to yours."

"I appreciate that," Shinji said quietly. Norfolk nodded then disappeared through the door. Shinji stared after him, a small touched smile gracing his moody features. He picked up his quill once again and started to scratch ink onto a piece of parchment. He ran his free hand through his long purple hair, eye brows knitting into a frown as he concentrated.

i

"Your Majesty, the Lady Scotsdale."

The Queen peered up from her book as the usher carefully stepped out of the way of the new arrival at court. Lady Ursula Scotsdale strode into the Queen's parlours, her hip swaying seductively as she walked with her hands clasped just underneath her breasts, elbows bent elegantly. Her face was blank of emotion, her chin slightly inclined upwards to give her a haughty air.

"Lady Scotsdale," Leaf said pleasantly as the pink haired lady walked towards her. Once a foot away from the Queen, Ursula swept into a flamboyant curtsey, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheekbones. She stood upright, turning her head to watch as Dawn bobbed politely to greet her. The Queen pointed to a seat beside Dawn, once again telling Dawn with a subtle hand message to stay put. "Please sit and we shall talk."

"Thank you, your Majesty," Ursula said, regal as always. She perched on the chair next to Dawn, giving the bluenette a side glance before focusing on the Queen. "I wished to pay my respects for you as soon as I was out of my riding clothes. Please, I beg your forgiveness for not coming to wait on you sooner, however, business kept me in the North longer than expected."

"Please, Lady Scotsdale, I understand plainly how busy a wife is, especially a wife of the cousin of the King's," Leaf said with a good mannered smile. "How is your husband."

"Well, your majesty," Ursula said slowly. She glanced at Dawn again. "However, I am glad to be in court again, around ladies and fashions, dancing and merriment. I do love Whitehall, it is much better than being elsewhere, don't you agree, your majesty?"

"Yes, I do agree. The Lord Privy Seal wanted us to stay put outside the city but my husband was keen to get back to Whitehall," Leaf said with a nod. "Please, you should dine with me tonight."

"Thank you your majesty, I am most deeply honoured," Ursula purred, genuinely humbled by the invitation. She now turned to Dawn, arching an eyebrow at the girl sat there with a small leather bound book in her hands. "And may I enquire into the health of my other, very dear cousin?"

Dawn looked up now, smiling before she answered: "Your grace is far to kind. I am very well, thank you."

"My husband tells me that your mother is very well," Ursula went on. "I hear she is ecstatic about her new chickens."

"Yes," Dawn said, ignoring the biting tone of Ursula's at the talk of chickens. Instead she beamed across at the Queen. "My mother so does love to keep chickens. She says there is no happier noise, spare the cooing of a babe, than the clucking of chickens in the garden."

"Indeed," Ursula said.

She was about to say something else when the Lord Privy Seal burst into the room, his gown coat flying behind him like a cape. He brushed past Misty, who had got to her feet as soon as the intruder had barged past the usher, and walked straight to the Queen, kneeling in front of her feet, his head bowed.

"Forgive me, my Lady, for this sudden interruption, but I come with the most urgent of news," he said lowly, humbly. He paused, waiting for her acknowledgement. When she remained silent, his rose his head, staring into her eyes. "There is plague in the palace. I urge you and your ladies to gather key items and leave for the country as soon as you can. Your horses and households are already being assembled as we speak. Your children are being moved as I am here telling you this. I beg you to make haste."

"Thank you, my Lord, however, I will await the direction of my husband," Leaf said coldly. Here the Lord Privy Seal faltered, a shudder running through him. Dawn observed that Master Shinji was not not wearing his usual attire, his jerkin was ruffled, the top button undone, his gold chain with the office's seal was not hanging round his neck like it usually would. It was an odd thing to see the Lord Privy Seal out of sorts like he was now. What could possibly make him so disorganised?

"My lady," he started but another rush of feet entered the room: the Duke of Norfolk.

"My Lord Privy Seal," he said, sweating as if he had been racing round the palace looking for the man. "You are needed in the King's chamber, urgently. At his Highness' command, I will oversee the Queen and her ladies."

Master Shinji got to his feet, danced on the spot for a moment or two then ran out of the room, knocking shoulders with the Duke by accident as he fled from sight. The Queen stood up slowly, her eyebrows furrowing with the greatest of confusion.

"My Lord Norfolk?"

"I am sorry my Queen, but the King has fallen ill with the sweating sickness," he said solemnly. The Queen stumbled backwards at the news, mouth agape. Her knees buckled, threatening to collapse beneath her if it wasn't for Dawn getting to her feet and steadying the young woman. She trembled as she listened to the Duke continue. "The Lord Privy Seal is attempting to regain order in the Privy Council but wanted more than anything to ensure your safety and the safety of the prince and princess. Please, we should gather all of your belongings and leave for safer places."

"Misty, gather the Queen's gowns; May, her jewels," Dawn ordered as soon as the Duke had finished speaking. She helped the Queen back into her seat before looking at Ursula. "Please stay with the Queen."

"Of course," Ursula said with a nod.

It was like a dance they did around each other. Ursula sat beside the Queen, feeding her bits of bread and wine while the other ladies buzzed around the room, packing things into chests. Dawn lead the way, ordering that only the key items should be taken with them, the rest could be sent for at a later date. The Duke waited patiently in the centre of the room, only disappearing when Dawn turned to him, snapping: "Please make yourself useful. Find out where would be best for us to go. Get news of the King for her Majesty."

The Duke blanched at her tone, those usually serene sapphire eyes now hard, sharp. He wobbled on his spot before hurrying out of the room, not before he replied to her with a hurried: "You sound just like the Privy Seal."

Within the hour, the entire Queen's household was packed and ready, her ladies waiting ready to follow her to safe haven just outside of London. The Queen, while still distressed, was more than happy to be dragged through the chaotic halls by her ladies, headed by the Duke of Norfolk, to the stables where she was hurried into a carriage and then whisked away with three of her ladies huddled close to her. Dawn, born and bred in the country, was not so lucky as to get a seat with the Queen. She climbed into the saddle of her great shire horse, tapped it with her heels and cantered after the Queen's carriage, her head craned to look behind her at the palace. She could make out the panic through the lead piped windows, people rushing around in the halls.

Her eyes turned ahead of her and she kicked the horse onwards to catch up to her Queen.

ii

They settled in Chelsea. A large manor house that had once belonged to Dawn's uncle before his head was severed from his body a decade before her own father's was. Here she walked peacefully through the house like she was born to be mistress of the manor, it was home to her in her heart at least. It comforted her slightly to be so close to her father, her uncle when everything seemed so bleak.

The sky had turned grey, the rain pounding down on the windows with fury. Dawn looked out of the large window just at the top of the stairs, watching the tempest roar outside: whirls of silver mixing with colours of ash and coal. Her mouth parted at the sight of it. How oddly beautiful, she thought. Lightening tore through the greyness, a bright blue flash followed by the roar of thunder not soon afterwards. Seconds later, another fork of lightening leapt across the sky, brilliantly flashing but dead in a second. The thunder roared just as the tail of the lightening disappeared into the maelstrom. Then there was another crash behind Dawn as the front doors to the manor were thrown open

She jumped as the Lord Privy Seal hurried into the hallway, dripping water all over the polished oak floor. He took off his black beaver skin hat, flicking it out and spraying the floor even more with water. He looked at the specks of water lining the floor then at the puddle he was creating just by standing there. He looked pale, thinner than she remembered. Slowly she walked towards him, bobbing to him. He looked her up and down then said:

"Tell the Queen I need an urgent audience with her," he said gruffly, as if resigned to some cruel destiny. He looked at her again, adding: "She is up isn't she?"

"Yes," Dawn replied. She called for a page to go tell the Queen that the Lord Privy Seal was requesting an audience and to fetch him a goblet of wine. Quick, quick. The page turned and hurried out of the hallway, first to the Queen's rooms then down to the kitchen. Now alone with the Lord Privy Seal, Dawn turned her gaze back to him, observing his current mood. He was playing with his leather gloves then attempted to tug them off his fingers but to no avail. Dawn reached forwards, steadying his hands then gently pulling the rich material from his numb fingers. His hands were like ice, damp too from the elements outside. He grunted a quick thank you as she held his gloves in her hands. She then circled him, hands brushing against his shoulder then collar. She grabbed the coat, pulling it slowly off his shoulders, down his arms until it thudded against the floor. Water cascaded from the heavy material as if the coat had suddenly taken to bleeding all over the varnished floor. Dawn carried it over to the returning page boy, swapping the coat for the gold goblet of rich wine. She instructed the boy to put the coat over the fire to get some of the damp out of it and he left them alone again. She returned to the Lord Privy Seal's side, handing him the goblet.

"Thank you," he murmured. He raised the goblet to his lips then drained the contents with one gulp. He paused when he finished drinking, the liquid burning his empty stomach as it slowly filled him up. Warmth spread from his insides out, finally some feeling in his bag of leather of a body. "You are too kind, my Lady."

"You're pale," she said. "You need to take better care of yourself, my Lord."

He said nothing, just gave her a blank expression. He pointed the goblet at her, eyes narrowing.

"You're the cousin of Cyrus Scotsdale, are you not?" he asked. She nodded.

"On his mother's side," she replied. "I've known the Duke since I was born. He is not unkind?"

"We shall see to that," was the grunted reply. Master Shinji raised the goblet to his lips, catching the last two drops on his tongue. "I will see the Queen now."

"Please sir," Dawn caught him as he stepped forwards. "I must know, what sort of news do you bring?"

"I need to see the Queen," he repeated. Without another word she led him up to the Queen's bedchamber where she was waiting for him anxiously, leaning forwards in her seat by the fire, eyes blotchy from her endless tears. The Lord Privy Seal bowed to her then signalled for the ladies to leave the room, which they did instantly, each looking at the Queen with worry struck eyes. Dawn was the last to leave, turning to leave the pair to talk but the Privy Seal had other ideas.

"Please, shut the door but do not leave," he said without looking at her. Dawn paused then closed the door, looking through the narrowing passage into the wide eyes of Misty. The door clicked shut and Dawn walked to sit by the Queen's side. Leaf grasped her hand with hers tightly, her breath stopping in her throat.

"My Lady..." Master Shinji said slowly. Something broke in him and his shoulders sagged. "I come with the most horrid of news. I am so sorry but-"

"He's dead," she said simply. Her hand tightened round Dawn's. "That's it then."

"Yes, but-"

"I will return to court then," Leaf said with a determined nod. "I want to see my son."

The Lord Privy Seal closed his eyes tightly. His legs gave out beneath him and he stumbled into a kneeling bow as if begging her forgiveness. The Queen stopped moving, she stopped breathing, she just stared at the Lord Privy Seal on the floor in front of her.

"Your son, My Lady, was taken by the sweat. Your daughter too," he said. "My Lady, I am so sorry."

"My children?" Leaf gaped. The stunned silence left her instantly as the wall broke. She screamed loudly, tearing her hand from Dawn's to push them against her face. She howled into her palms, drenching them with her tears. A cry got caught in her throat and she snorted then wretched. Her body coiled round on itself like she was in agony. More sobs rippled through her body, strongly, like spasms. The Lord Privy Seal watched her weep, his face a shallow nothing but his eyes raging with empathy.

"W-what h-happen-ns n-now?" she spluttered through her fingers, eyes tightly closed.

"The Duke of York, his Royal Highness, King Cyrus-" Master Shinji said, his lips curling like he has a bad taste in his mouth, "will be crowned tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" the Queen asked. Her tears forgotten, her head whipped upwards to stare at the Lord Privy Seal. He could not meet her eye, looking at Dawn instead, almost disgusted at her. The look vanished almost as soon as it appeared. "My husband and children aren't even dead in the ground and he is-"

"They died last week, my Lady," he interrupted her. "I came here to warn you before the King's men could arrive. We have been forbidden to come to you, to tell you but I could not allow it. As soon as I could manage, I slipped out of court to come tell you. I have come to warn you. Take care, give back your jewels and return to France as soon as you are able. Take all your single ladies with you."

"Y-yes," she muttered. She turned to Dawn. "Tell the staff-"

"Lady Dawn is to remain here," Master Shinji said steely. "The King has no issue, yet, the only thing he has close to an heir is his cousin."

Dawn stared back at him, his cold eyes, horrified. Slowly he got to his feet, bowing low and then reached out his hand for the Queen to take. She held up her own hand, he grasped it, leaning forwards to kiss her rings.

"I pray the best for you," he said. Then turned to Dawn, bowing his head to her once. Then he left, ordering his coat from the kitchens with a fierce bark at one of the pages.

Leaf turned her red eyes onto the rigid Dawn beside her. Dawn mechanically turned to look at the Queen, two fat tears erupting from her eyes as she stared in horror at her former regent. The pair just looked at each other, silent. Downstairs they heard the front door bang shut as the Lord Privy Seal returned to Whitehall on his horse.

"Lady Berlitz," Leaf said finally. "You understand that as long as I am in England, we can not be friends."

"I understand," Dawn replied. She choked down a sob.

"I thank you for all your years of service," Leaf went on. "You have been a close confident."

"And I will remain so," Dawn said, now playing with her fingers. "I am so sorry, your Majesty."

"I am too," Leaf muttered. "Now leave me. I wish to mourn in peace for my husband and my poor little children."

iii

"You went to see her didn't you?" Cyrus accused the Lord Privy Seal as soon as he walked into the King's room the next morning, his dossier hugged tightly to his chest.

"Who, Highness?" he asked as innocent as he could manage.

"The Dowager Queen," Cyrus replied coldly. Master Shinji had the good sense not to admit nor deny that he had seen the Dowager Queen, he merely stood unblinking at the King, his face hidden behind his unreadable mask. Cyrus pointed at a chair close to his, lips curling into a smirk as the Lord Privy Seal slipped into the chair, his face completely masked with nonchalance. He blinked slowly, his gaze rising to meet the eyes of the new King. "Did you convey my sympathies?"

Silence. Again, neither a denial or an admission of a fact. No he did not convey his sympathies to the Dowager Queen on his behalf.

"The Duke of Somerset says that he saw you slip out of the palace last night," the King continued.

"I had business elsewhere," Master Shinji said. "Preparations for this glorious day, your Majesty."

"You will not survive long in my Privy Council if you lie to me, _Mister_ Shinji," Cyrus threatened.

"And you would not survive long without _me_, highness," Shinji replied just as coldly as the King had moments before. "I interrogate traitors, I bully Dukes and a make your laws come into practice by any means necessary. If I omit certain details from you then it is for your own good."

He got to his feet, bowing quickly then straightening up.

"Anything else, sire?" he asked. The King dismissed him with a wave of his hand and Master Shinji took no time to walk out of the chambers with his leather dossier close at hand. He strode through the outer chamber where the crowds of gentry swarmed around each other in their ermine and red velvet cloaks. He barely glanced at them in their pompous golden crowns as they made merry for the coronation. The Duke of Norfolk, his only friend, was absent from crowd of velvets and ermine. He was still in Chelsea with the Dowager Queen, probably preparing for the oncoming storm, then again, the Duke of Norfolk was just as good as dodging threats, downfalls and trials. Still, Court wasn't the same when he was not here.

As he walked forwards through the see of scarlet, something strange caught his eye. He stopped mid-step as a hush fell upon the room, then the great sea of furs parted revealing a petite blue haired girl. Her eyes were cast down but as she stepped through the threshold of the chamber she raised her head, just like the Queen would do, her eyes dead ahead. She walked with a confident bounce, two ladies flanking her, heads bowed. The Lord Privy Seal recognised them to be the Lady Ketchum and the daughter of Lord Maple, May. Lady Ketchum's eyebrows furrowed into a scowl as she paraded behind Dawn, the Queen no doubt putting them up to this.

His interest was suddenly twisted and he turned on his heel to watch the three of them walk past him towards the King's chambers, in awe at the Queen's sudden boldness and the courage of her closest friend.

"She's playing the game," a voice on his left said quietly. Master Shinji smiled at the sound of his best friend's voice.

"Finally," he remarked, then resumed his way to his own office so he be alone at last with his thoughts.

Dawn stepped into the King's chambers, looking round at the mess of boxes around the room. The King was currently being dressed by his stewards, his arms spread out like a Christmas tree. He caught sight of her through the mirror, his eyebrows dropping down his forehead quickly.

"Dawn," he said.

"Your Majesty," she replied with a sweeping curtsey. The two ladies behind her followed her lead, almost kneeling on the floor as they curtseyed so low.

"How did you find out?" he asked.

"The Lord Privy Seal, of course," she said. "He wouldn't tell you, he said you wouldn't approve."

"You'd sell him to the dogs?"

"To save my own skin, cousin."

"He threatened me," the King said, his face wrinkling into a snarl.

"Threatens all," Dawn replied with a shrug. "I take his threats to mean that he likes you."

"Why are you here?" he asked her, suddenly business like.

"The Dowager Queen would like me to pass on a message to his Highness," she said steadily. "She wishes him the best for his coronation and prays a long and happy reign for you and your Queen. She also requests permission to leave England with her ladies, spare these two here, and return to her family in France."

"Pass this onto the Privy Seal, I am rather busy today, cousin."

**So there is a new King on the block. I decided that Gary was not the mean sort of King I needed for this story so I... replaced him. Leaf will return a bit later on in the story. We're going to see a little conflict between Cyrus and Paul in the upcoming chapters as two powerful men clash over ideas, with Dawn caught in the middle. It's nice to have an insight into Paul's character in this chapter, even if he is awfully morbid.**

**And I think Drew enjoys being a Duke far too much, don't you think?**

**Let me know what you think :)**

**RSx**


	3. III

**Hi everyone. Here's the next chapter for you all.**

**I know that with the titles and everything, it's a bit hard to follow who's who so here's a little list of all our characters.**

**Lady Berlitz - Dawn**

**Lord Privy Seal/Master Shinji - Paul**

**Duke of Norfolk/Norfolk - Drew**

**The King - Cyrus (was crowned last chapter)**

**The Queen - Ursula (as Cyrus' wife)**

**Earl of Wiltshire - Ash**

**Lady Ketchum - Misty**

**Lady Maple - May**

**I hope this helps if any of you are confused :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

III

The Duke of Norfolk matched the hurried pace of the Lord Privy Seal as they walked round in circles in the gardens of the Palace. Master Shinji paced feverishly up and down the grass, hands behind his back, eyebrows creased with worry. He had lasted a week so far with the new King but he felt something slipping.

"You shouldn't have threatened him," Norfolk told him bluntly on lap number twenty-five.

"Thank you for your counsel as always," was the irritable reply. Norfolk grinned at this.

"These are dark and stormy days," he commented, "but all stormy days pass in good time."

"I may end up at the gallows yet," Master Shinji said. He stopped dead at this thought then he turned to Norfolk. "Do you remember your promise?"

"I'm saving up the bribe money as we speak."

"I'll reimburse you."

"You're so kind."

With that the Lord Privy Seal went about his walking, leaving the Duke of Norfolk to hang back and think about the future. What hope was there if the Lord Privy Seal was booted out of office. Aged thirty, the man had done so much for the country: he'd been a soldier, a commander in France, then the secretary for King Gary's father for two years, then finally he had risen to Lord Privy Seal. Still the lowly born man was just what he was before he stumbled into court: the son of a farmer. The only difference now was that he was quite rich.

"Paul," Norfolk called after his long time friend. They had served together in France, rather, Master Shinji had saved his sorry ass when he'd been shot by a French archer right in the shoulder. Master Shinji had defended him, nursed him, avenged his father and beaten back the French with his low class soldier mob. Hundreds of farm boy rallying against the French squires and gentry, using clubs, rocks or their bare hands to smash faces and force a retreat. If he hadn't have been there, he wouldn't have believed it.

Master Shinji paused to allow the Duke to catch up to him. He looked forty years old with the scowl on his face, his coal black eyes swimming with thoughts, plans to escape.

"You know what you need?" Norfolk asked. "You need a lovely young lady on your arm."

"Did you know there's a rumour about our friendship?" Master Shinji offered.

"No, what?"

"They say I only befriended the Duke of Norfolk so I could tell him there's Norfolk-ing chance," Master Shinji said. He glared at the Duke, causing him to shrink back slightly. With that, the Privy Seal walked off towards the palace, arms still behind his back. His thoughts were elsewhere as he walked down the empty hallways, eyebrows meeting each other in the centre of the forehead.

He was almost to his private office when he was called back and told to see the King right away. The joy of it all, this politics, he thought as he trudged back the way he had come then made a right instead of a left. He was brought to the main hall where he was almost instantly besieged by Lords, squires and other members of court for favours. He dismissed them with an 'out of the way' and pushed through towards the King's chamber. The King was sat on his throne chair, waiting for his Lord Privy Seal to arrive.

"Majesty," Master Shinji said with a low bow.

"I need you to arrest some people for me," the King said pleasantly. "I want the Duke of Devon, the Earl of Winchester and the Lord Baron of Doncaster sent to the Tower without trail."

This confused this Lord Privy Seal. He was a lawyer, trained by King's Lawyers after he returned from France as a hero. The first thing the King's lawyer had taught him was that a man had to break a law before he could be tried and arrested.

"Pardon, your Majesty, but on which grounds are they to be arrested?" he asked.

"Treason."

"In what way?"

"I dislike them," the King said plainly. "The Earl of Winchester was a great friend of my predecessor wasn't he?"

"I believe so," Master Shinji replied with a nod. Those two had grown up together, rivalled each other at every sport in life. The last time the pair had jousted together, the King had almost killed the Earl of Winchester. He didn't half get a telling off from the Dowager Queen and the Earl's wife.

"Then get rid of him," the King said. "I don't want anyone relating to the old King so close to the throne."

"Yes, your Highness," Master Shinji said, bowing lowly again. He turned on his heel so he could return to his office and write up the arrest warrants for the three men in question. Just as he got to the door, the King added:

"Better arrest the Duke of Norfolk too."

The Privy Seal did a twirl, his face stricken with shock as he looked at the King once more. He stepped a few feet closer to the King, mouth opening and closing a few times to try and ask -

"Why?"

"He's in league with the Earl. Get rid of him," the King replied.

"But, your Majesty," Master Shinji said, his heart racing under his jerkin. "The Duke of Norfolk is no threat to your Majesty. He's a humble woman chaser. He knows nothing of politics and, since France, never wants to lift a sword again.

The King swooped out of his throne chair and glided towards the Lord Privy Seal, his hand grasping the others neck in a tight vice grip. If Master Shinji had been a Duke, he would have been armed with a small dagger. If Master Shinji was armed, he would have plunged his dagger into the King's abdomen and allowed him to bleed to death before he called for a guard. Luckily for the King, the Lord Privy Seal was not armed, merely stunned as the King roughly squeezed his windpipe.

"You will do as I say, Master Shinji or I will have you thrown in the Tower along with your friends," he threatened, whispering in his ear. Master Shinji closed his eyes, calming himself as he came out of his shocked state of mind. He needed to stay calm or he would strike the King down. "I will remind you that you are the son of a pig farmer. You are nothing. If you died then no one, no one, would have to wipe a tear away for you. I can raise you and I can drown you. Got that?"

"Majesty," he grunted. The King threw him away roughly. He almost fell flat on his face if it wasn't for his speedy reactions, his feet rapidly moving to support him. A weaker man's knees would have buckled by now, but not the Lord Privy Seal's.

"Now go," he ordered. Master Shinji hurried out of the room as fast as his legs could take him. Striding across the great hall, he idly reached up for his neck, rubbing where the King had grabbed it.

He crashed into his office, dossier thrown across the room as soon as the door was closed. He leant on the door, sliding down it until he was sat on the floor, knees in line with his chin. His hands played at the aching flesh on his neck as his cold onyx eyes stared blankly across into the darkness of the room.

He sat there for five minutes before he roused himself to his feet, stumbled over to his desk where he lit a candle so he could start writing up the dreaded documents. The Duke of Norfolk's was the last to be written, the bitter sting of betrayal eating at the Lord Privy Seal's mind as he scratched his quill on the parchment. The next time he talked to his friend it may be the last they time they ever spoke.

i

Dawn Berltiz awoke to the sound of yelling, more precisely, the yelling of Misty Ketchum as she ran into the shared rooms of her and May. May flew out of bed, much like Dawn did. Misty flew into the rooms, still dressed in her nightwear, grabbed Dawn by the wrist and pulled her out of the room. Dawn followed dumbly, wondering why Misty was in such a rush.

"Misty, please," Dawn said as she became aware that many people were looking at the pair of them oddly as she was dragged through Whitehall Palace. Misty walked quickly, almost running, never letting up, her hands tight around Dawn's wrist.

Eventually they arrived at a scene at the stable entrance of the palace. Stood in the doorway looking on at the chaos was the Lord Privy Seal, his hands as usual behind his back. Dawn hurried forwards now, hearing a scuffle outside the door.

"Stop them, Dawn," Misty pleaded. "They're taking him away."

"My Lord Privy Seal!" Dawn yelled at the man in the doorway. His head moved ever so slightly as she called his name, recognising that someone was talking to him but nothing more. Dawn stormed up to him, stopping at his shoulder so she could demand to know what was happening when the brushing past of Misty as she ran to grab her husband's hand as he was loaded into a cart made her gasp instead. Three men were being herded into the cart, their wrists heavy with metal cuffs, a fourth was already sat in the cart, staring up at the palace in a morose sort of way. Dawn gave a gasp at the man so calmly seated: Norfolk.

"Master Shinji," Dawn said, "what is going on here?"

"The King requested the arrests of these poor souls," he mumbled, only loud enough for her to hear.

"Why?"

"They were too close to King Gary," he replied, one of his hands appearing from behind his back so he could rub his eyes with a thumb and finger. "I will be bundled up tomorrow for the rack. Will you come to see me off?"

She looked at him wondering if he was trying to be funny but he had that unreadable mask on his face once more. She turned her head to watch as Misty cried into her husband's palm, he was now seated next to Norfolk in the cart, his shaggy black hair covering his eyes while tears leaked from his chin.

"Please, please," Misty pleaded.

"Your own friend. You arrested your own friend." It wasn't an accusation, it was a statement of fact. She rounded on him but found he was absently rubbing his throat through his high collar. He closed his eyes, obviously in discomfort. Come to think about it, he did sound a little raspy this morning. Perhaps he hadn't a drink yet?

Her eyes returned to the terrible scene in the courtyard. Misty had been pushed to the floor by a page boy, the cart pulled away from her by two horses. The prisoners yelled their innocence to the Lord Privy Seal who merely watched them disappear through the stable yard gate, the eyes of the Duke of Norfolk turning onto the Lord Privy Seal at the last second, his emerald irises filled with betrayal and sadness.

"My Lady," Master Shinji now said. "I would advise you to collect Lady Ketchum and return to your rooms."

She was about to tell him how heartless he was when he began to shrug his expensive coat off of his shoulders. He thrust it in her hands and, when she didn't take it, he wrapped it round her shoulders. He looked her up and down like he had done that night in Chelsea.

"I don't think the King would like his only heir walking round the palace in her night gown," he commented. She smiled at this, hugging the coat round her body as he left her side. She walked outside on the cold cobble of the stable yard to Misty. She pulled the orange haired woman to her feet, wrapping her arm and the Privy Seal's coat around her shoulders then leading her back into the Palace, all the while cooing that everything would be alright.

ii

It was unfortunate that the King caught the Lord Privy Seal walking back to his office without his expensive coat wrapped round his shoulders. He stared at the purple haired man, eyebrow raised in curiosity before he called him over to ask if it had been done.

"Yes, Majesty," Master Shinji replied with a bow.

"Where is your coat?" the King asked.

"I..." Master Shinji started but stopped as a wave of tiredness washed through him. He looked around the room, composing himself. "I gave it to Lady Dawn. Lady Ketchum dragged her down to see me when her husband was arrested. I thought it indecent for the Lady Dawn to be walking round in just her night gown."

"Lady Dawn?"

"Lady Berlitz, forgive me." He was quick to correct himself, frowning at the slip of the tongue. He bowed his head waiting for the King to say something else but the King didn't say anything. Instead he decided to cuff his secretary around the head with his jewelled fist. Master Shinji took the blow with barely a flinch.

"Don't forget it," the King warned. Master Shinji looked up into the eyes of his new King, the orbs of ebony trying frantically to work out his new master but there were no clues in his eyes. His eyes were dead – devoid of all emotion. "I am going to marry the Lady Berlitz to my dear friend, Duke Somerset."

Master Shinji nodded once, stiffly.

"Don't forget it," the King warned. He cuffed the Lord Privy Seal round the head once more for good measure then walked off. He flinched at the blow again but waited until the King was out of the room before he allowed himself to glare after the man, a spiteful snarl shrivelling up his face. He rubbed the abused portion of his head. Around him, servants stared dumbly at what they had just witnessed – the King struck the Lord Privy Seal. The King – the most powerful man in the country – had just hit the Lord Privy Seal – the second most powerful man in the country. It was a scandal. King Gary had never hit anyone, neither had his father, let alone the Privy Seal.

Master Shinji stood in the centre of the room, now looking round at the white faces of the servants now gaping at him. Mustering what little restraint he had left, he marched onwards towards the sanctuary of his office wondering how long he had before he joined Norfolk in the Tower.

iii

Dawn peered round the door of the Privy Office around ten o'clock, knocking on the door softly. Master Shinji was working at his desk, a bad mood written across his face. He seemed to be carving the words he was writing into the parchment. On her knock, he didn't bother to look up, merely waved his hand.

"I've been waiting for those reports for the past hour," he barked. "Bring them here at once."

"I have no reports, sir, I came to return your coat," Dawn replied.

She had never seen the Lord Privy Seal move so fast. One moment he was sat on his chair writing, the next he was stood up staring at her in a shell shocked manner. Once the initial shock wore of, he scowled at her.

"Damn you," he hissed. He sat back down, resuming his writing the moment his trousers hit the chair. "It is your fault my head is banging."

"Why is my fault?" she asked, appalled he would blame her for a headache. He glared up at her.

"The King boxed me twice over the head for giving you my coat," he replied curtly.

"It was rather an intimate thing to do," she said. "Are you always so intimate?"

"You bring it out of me," he conceded.

"Do you kiss every woman you interrogate?"

"Speak of that to no one," he ordered. He thrust the quill up at her, pointing it threateningly. Then he used it to point to the chair in front of his desk. "Put the coat there."

"You're so hot and cold," she mumbled as she walked forwards to deposit the coat in a heap on the chair.

"You are going to marry Somerset," he stated.

"The county?"

"The man you ninny."

She leant on the back of the chair, smiling at him: "It is nice to see you squirm."

"Will you say that when the King sends me to the same fate as your father?" he hissed at her. She paled at this, straightening up. "Please be gone from my sight, Lady Berlitz. Go do what ladies do and stop coming into my private office. If you require my assistance, please put it in writing and give to one of your ladies to bring to me."

She bobbed a curtsey then left the room without another word. He let out a sigh once she disappeared from his sight. He ran a hand through his hair before propping up his face while he continued his diligent work.

Ten minutes later there was another knock on the door. This time he looked up and was met by the nervous gaze of Lady May Maple. She shuffled towards his desk, holding out a letter for him to read. He took it from her, dismissing her with a flick of his hand. The poor girl practically ran from the room. Was he so terrifying?

He turned his attention to the letter. It was not sealed, just folded up. He opened it carefully, raising an eyebrow as he read the four words scribbled on the pale parchment.

_You are an asshole._

He should have burned the letter. He should have folded it up to show the King how much the Lady Berlitz hated him. He should have screwed up the paper and flung it across the room. But he did none of these. He folded it back up and slid it into the hidden pocket in his jerkin. He closed his eyes, pained.

"Oh the irony," he mumbled. He should have sent her to the gallows when he had the chance.

**Poor Paul. Not only is the King hitting him, Dawn's being mean to him. Bless.**

**Anyway, feedback is welcomed. Please let me know what you think :)**

**RSx**


	4. IV

**Perhaps I'm not in the best of moods when I post this but I know that getting this out there will make me feel so much better. Anyway. Here is chapter four for you lovely people :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. **

IV

There was no denying that the Lord Privy Seal had lost a lot of his power when the new King came to the throne. Beforehand, it may have been met with a few coy smiles, a couple of remarks from the other Lords, but now it was terrifying. King Cyrus was unpredictable. He arrested people, he executed a fair few too. He rose his friends, he buried his enemies. It was a small consolation that the Lord Privy Seal had not been flung into prison with the others and beheaded without trial. As soon as that happened, half of the court was ready to jump on a boat and head to France.

He looked ragged as he walked around Whitehall, dark wrinkles under his eyes. His clothes were immaculate as usual and he still had that nondescript mask on his face, but his manner was colder than usual. He suffered a lot from headaches, the King's doing mostly.

He avoided Lady Berlitz like the plague and if she was in the same room as her, he would keep his eyes downcast and ignore her completely. She ignored him to, often with a look of contempt. Something had gone off between the couple, no one knew what. They were still a couple as far as the court was concerned, as odd as it seemed, despite both parties denying there was every any intimacy between them. The Lord Privy Seal knew exactly when to back off, the Lady Berlitz knew how to hold a grudge. It was as simple as that.

Norfolk was returned to Court a fortnight after his imprisonment, the Earl of Winchester a week after that. Both of them were still quiet members of Court, even Norfolk not daring to go anywhere near the Lord Privy Seal for the time being. That ship was sinking and Norfolk knew when to jump overboard. Instead, Norfolk and Winchester busied themselves with other things. No one saw the Lord Privy Seal talk to the Duke of Norfolk either, although their lack of communication was easily written off. After all, the Duke wasn't going to to go and forgive the man who had written his arrest warrant so soon.

But it soon became apparent that the King could not get rid of the Lord Privy Seal – he just knew too much. The Lords had forgotten just how important the moody son of a farmer was to the running of the country. He disappeared for an afternoon and the whole place went to pot. It wasn't done on purpose, mind. He had left to attend to some business in Westminster – the installation of King Gary's tomb had ran into a snag – and had left a message with his clerks. The clerk in question was not asked if he knew where his master was and chaos had ensued until the man in question walked back into Whitehall, eyebrows arched.

"Can't live without me?" he said to the Duke of Somerset sarcastically. "What sort of apocalypse has befallen us while I have been in the city?"

The Duke of Somerset, a lightly green hair man of about forty-five, grunted with disdain before shoving past the Lord Privy Seal.

"Oh," the Duke said as if remembering something. Master Shinji doubted that it was a sudden recall of memory, more like he needed the time it took to take five paces for him to come up with some witty remark. "The King reminds you that you will handling my marriage with the Lady Berlitz."

"As soon as I clear up this mess," he pointed round at the gaggles of Lords still running round the place like maniacs, perhaps the only calm mas, aside from themselves, standing in the hall was the Earl of Winchester – clueless as ever, "I will start on the preparations."

"Does it burn you to think that I will marry her?" the Duke asked. Master Shinji looked the man up and down for a minute, taking in the gaudy fabric of his coat, his gloved hands and then finally his missing eye. He wore a scarlet eye patch over the old jousting wound, his eyeball having been removed after the injury then the eye sown up completely.

"I think she is..." he said slowly, "A very... lucky woman to be marrying such a man as yourself."

"I like to think so," the Duke said, lips curling into a smirk before he turned on the spot and returned to whatever Lords did. Master Shinji would never know what Lords did during the day. He mused to himself that the Lords were lucky to be born into privilege because there was no way they would be able to make their way out of poverty with the grey matter in their heads. Even Dukes like Norfolk struggled with simple fiscal problems, their wives knowing more about accounts – or the lack of money – then the Dukes themselves. The last Duke to have any sense about ruling the country and the economy was hung, drawn and quartered. Then people wondered why he was so interested in the daughter.

i

"I am not going to marry Somerset," Dawn announced to the King when she dined with him and the Queen. The King's eyes glowed red from the fire light then he snapped his eyelids shut.

"Why not?" he asked calmly.

"He's too old," she replied.

"Dawn," Ursula said coldly. "I cannot help but notice that since my husband's accession, you have become a little bit of a madam. All you do is throw your weight around Whitehall."

"I disagree with you there," Dawn said, pushing a piece of venison round her plate. "I can't throw my weight round Whitehall when the Queen is doing that. I have two ladies, that is all I have asked for. I have not asked for favours, for dresses or for jewels. I am content with sitting in my rooms gossiping with May and Misty from dawn until dusk."

"And yet you tell me you will not marry the groom I have chosen for you," the King said, a pale eyebrow raising as he turned his cold eyes to look at her.

"I know you hit the Privy Lord Seal," she said plainly.

"He is my servant," Cyrus said lowly.

"And he has enough dirt on Ghetsis to have him thrown into the Tower and maybe even beheaded," Dawn replied. She reached for her goblet, taking a flamboyant swig of young English wine before she placed it back on the table. "All I have to do is ask him."

"Do you think that -"

"The Lord Privy Seal is the second most powerful man in the land," Dawn said. "He was gone for... three hours and the whole country went to pot. The Duke of Wiltshire was packing his bags ready to go to Spain, I heard."

"I heard that too," Ursula said, nodding at her husband. "He was rather jumpy."

"Remind me to arrest the Duke of Wiltshire," Cyrus said to no one in particular. Here, Dawn frowned. She dabbed her mouth with her serviette, her blue eyes never leaving Cyrus' face.

"I think you're going round this the wrong way," she told him.

"What the wrong way?" he asked.

"Ruling with this iron fist, ruling by fear," Dawn replied. "If I were you, I would be seeking Master Shinji's help rather than acting like a bully."

"A bully?" Cyrus asked. Opposite him, Ursula snorted into her goblet, hiding the cattish grin with the gold cup. She looked between the two cousins, fighting once more, just like they did when they were children. The only person in the world that could get Cyrus into a verbal sparing match was Dawn, despite their age difference. She had her father's eye for politics and intelligence, her mother's subtlety and flare for language.

"Throwing everyone in the Tower for something or other, allowing your friends to stride round the place like great Lords of the manor," Dawn said. "They are much more dangerous than Shinji. They will outgrow their boots and aim for new heights as soon as they sense a half chance. At least you can be confident that Shinji will be consistent."

"Why are you trying to shove Shinji in front of me?" Cyrus asked.

"So we can avoid civil war," Dawn snapped. "His Highness, King George, was the first King to rule in peace after the Blood Wars. It has been fragile ever since. Cement your reign with some consistency then do whatever the hell you like."

"Your cousin is very opinionated," Ursula commented.

"She's also quite right too," Cyrus relented. He leant back in his chair, watching Dawn as she went back to eating her supper with ample elegance. Across the table, Ursula smiled at him. He knew that the pair had never seen eye to eye – some unknown rivalry that only women could understand raging between them. Ursula had beauty, elegance and a King for a husband. Dawn had intelligence, nerve and a traitor as a father. She knew loss. She knew the barriers.

"I am glad that you are my kin," Cyrus concluded aloud to his thoughts. Dawn glanced at him, bowing her head. "So advise me, in ways that only you can: What should I do with Master Shinji?"

"Make him an Earl," Ursula said before Dawn had chance to open her mouth. "Give him to the gentry, appear to put faith in him. Then when you have a grasp on the country, you can unmake him just as quickly as you made him."

Cyrus nodded at the thought of that. He turned to face Dawn's thoughtful face, her eyes staring at her plate as she weighed up possibilities in her head. Eventually she turned to her King, a wicked smile on her face.

"Marry him off to a Lady," she told him. "That would really make him squirm."

Ursula laughed like a banshee, throwing back her head. The King too grinned with malice. Dawn returned to her meal, idly cutting up the venison with her knife.

"I heard the Duke of Norfolk teasing him once about having a wife," she went on. "Or at least courting a young pretty thing. The Privy Seal didn't like the suggestion and stormed off."

"I can imagine that," Ursula said.

"I hear he had a wife when he was younger," Cyrus said. "A young wife, French I think."

"He did always have a soft spot for the Dowager Queen," Dawn commented, glancing at Ursula who gave another while cackle.

"I suppose giving him a wife under our watch would be wise," Cyrus said thoughtfully. He glanced at Dawn, raising an eyebrow at her. "I do believe I have a proposition for you, Dawn."

Dawn glanced at him before her knife and fork clattered onto the silver plate. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets, incredulous at the very suggestive tone in her cousin's voice. She glanced at Ursula, who, for once, had fallen silent in her shock. Cyrus reached for his goblet, a coy smile gracing his lips as he drained the contents.

"I have the perfect match," he said. Dawn and Ursula looked at each other worriedly for a moment before Ursula looked away,

"I beat you to a marriage, I'll beat you to a child," she said.

ii

Master Shinji rubbed his eyes as he tried to make sense of the report in front of his nose. Gone were the days when he could swan off to the Duke of Norfolk for a quick exchange of wits, now he was resigned to look over the endless stream of documents. The price of fame and fortune, he mused to himself as he gently applied pressure to his eyelids.

He was rubbing circles into his abused eyes when the door to the office opened and three heavy footsteps thudded on the floor.

"Do not startle yourself," Cyrus' voice rang out coldly. Master Shinji withdrew his fingers from his eye sockets, his coal eyes staring right at the King as he strode to claim the chair in front of the desk. "I'm here as your equal – one powerful man to another."

"I'm honoured that his majesty thinks I am a powerful man," Master Shinji said. The King held up a hand to silence him. He didn't want to have this conversation with a humbled man, he wanted a conversation with a man. Master Shinji fell silent, placing his reports down on the table in front of him. The King adjusted his coat, making himself as comfortable as he could manage.

"None of your wit, Master Shinji," he remarked, "I'm here on business. Man to man."

This can not be good, Master Shinji thought but he nodded anyway, giving the King his undivided attention. The pair of them stared at each other for a short spell, as if sizing each other up, before the King opened his mouth to speak.

"You're not going to grab my neck again, are you?" Master Shinji asked. The King's mouth snapped shut, a look of a wounded puppy flashing across his face. As if feeling that this may be the case, the Privy Seal let out a sigh and moved the documents he had been working on to the side so they wouldn't be knocked into a mess if the King did decided to strike him. The King watched him shuffle the papers, a bemused look on his face now.

"Do you always plan ahead?" he asked.

"Oh yes," was the reply. "I always plan three moves ahead."

"Only three?"

"With multiple scenarios, of course. How do you think I sleep at night?"

"I see, it's a good practice."

"Pardon me, your Majesty, I get the feeling you did not come here to talk to the son of a farmer about his sleeping habits. Is there something I can do for you?"

The King let out a chuckle, relaxing into his seat ever so slightly.

"It's always business with you, isn't it?" he asked. The Lord Privy Seal nodded once.

"For a lowly born man, such as myself, to talk to the King of England," he said, "is such a privilege, I would spare him my lowly concerns and ask him what I could do for him. But if you want pleasantries, I can oblige you."

"Do you have any wine?"

The Lord Privy Seal rose to his feet and fetched a jug of wine from the office next door, two goblets for them both. He placed them down on the desk top, pouring the King's first then his. They clinked the goblets together as a sign of good faith, then drank. The King licked the rim of the goblet as he pulled it from his lips.

"You're very obliging," he commented. "I shouldn't have hit you."

"You were trying to scare me," the Privy Seal said, "exerting your influence over me."

"But you don't scare easily, do you?" the King asked.

"I've gone up against the French, seen the sweat carry my mother off and gone to three Kings' funerals in the space of four years," Master Shinji said plainly. "I'm very hard to scare."

"I can see that." The King ran his finger round the base of the goblet, staring at the red liquid held inside the cup. "I wanted to talk to you about the marriage of Lady Berlitz."

"Is there a problem with it?"

"Yes: She doesn't want to marry Somerset."

"That is a problem."

"Quite," the King said, his eyes flickering with amusement. "In any case, when I put it to her this evening she told me some truths that I should have seen. One: that she should not marry Somerset, he's far too old for her. Two: that I would be better working with you than against you."

The King gave him a hard stare that made him bow his head humbly.

"Three: my cousin is just as cunning and quick witted as you are. Four: the only person who can stop this country slipping back into civil war is you."

The Lord Privy Seal's eyes widened then flickered back to normal, waiting for more from the man sat in front of him.

"Five: if anyone can give her a run for her money, it's you. And finally, six: I need you as my kin," the King said. He finished his speech by raising the goblet to his lips and drinking slowly from it. He watched the Lord Privy Seal carefully, watching three emotions flash across his black eyes: surprise, admission and curiosity.

"Your Majesty is too kind," he said finally. That is all he said on the matter. The King frowned at his lack of questions or emotions, there was no humble thank you or an exclamation of shock. The Lord Privy Seal merely sat there contemplating what he should do now, forming plans in that ever working head of his.

"Change the preparations for my cousin's wedding," the King told him firmly. "You will marry her, not Somerset. I will tell him, of course, he may try to kill you."

"No one is allowed to carry arms in Whitehall while the King is in residence," Master Shinji said, automatically. His head shook slightly as he corrected himself, his eyes turning onto the King. "You really want me to marry Lady Berlitz?"

"The Queen and Lady Berlitz have an ongoing rivalry," the King explained. "Ursula married me before Dawn married her first husband, then Dawn became a widow. By marrying Dawn again, I may finally have a chance at having a child – as long as you don't get one on Dawn first."

The King drained his cup and got to his feet, pressing the goblet to the table with a heavy clunking noise. "I hope we can learn to trust each other, My Lord."

"I trust my King," Master Shinji said, climbing to his feet.

"Blindly?"

"Carefully."

"Good man." This caused Cyrus to smile. In a swish of expensive furs and velvets, the King turned and made for the office door. Master Shinji's thoughts raced as the information he had just been given sunk into his brain.

"If you don't mind me asking, your Majesty," he said before the King could leave the room. The King paused at the door, turning his cold eyes onto the Lord Privy Seal. "Does the Lady Berlitz want to marry me?"

"_Never in a million years! The first time I met him, he slammed my face on a table and ripped out my hair."_

The King's eyes flashed with amusement. "She'll do as she is told."

Oddly enough that didn't comfort the Privy Seal at all.

iii

Misty's eyes widened when Dawn returned to her rooms later on that night. Dawn, usually prim and proper, calm and quiet, was in a foul mood. She threw the doors open and stormed into the room, cursing and muttering under her breath as she kicked off her shoes and tore the hood from her hair. Misty looked on, keeping her distance just in case Dawn wanted a shaking bag.

"Lady Berlitz?" she dared to ask eventually as the bluenette stormed past her.

"Go away."

Misty watched as the skirts of the Lady's dresses slipped past the curtains of her bed chamber then let out a low sigh, turning to see where May had got to. The brunette tiptoed out of her hiding place, looking as nervous as usual.

"What was that all about?" she asked the older orange haired Lady.

"No clue," Misty replied. "Do you think the King said something to her?"

"Maybe it has something to do with her marriage to Somerset?" May guessed. The pair of them stared at each other, deciding what they should do next. If Dawn wanted to be left alone then they should leave her alone, but they were a little reluctant to leave her just yet. They gave her five minutes then popped their heads round the curtain to see what she was doing.

The found her face down on the four poster bed with the net hangings drawn. Her head rested in her arms. She was silent, still. May and Misty exchanged looks before they stepped quietly into the room, wondering what could have made her react this way.

"Erm... My Lady?" May said quietly.

"What?" the muffled reply shot out.

"May we ask what is the matter?" May ventured. Dawn's head shot up along with her shoulders and she rounded on her two maids. They stared at her blankly.

"Is it something to do with your wedding?" Misty asked.

"Oh no, please tell me the King has arranged it for tomorrow," May gasped. Dawn pouted, pulling her body round so she was sat down on the fur trimmed blanket. She pulled the net hangings open so she could see them clearly.

"I'm not marrying the Duke of Somerset-" she said.

"Really?" Misty asked.

"That's great, he's creepy," May added smiling.

"-I'm going to marry the Lord Privy Seal instead."

"You're joking!" Misty barked.

"He's scary!" May cried, her hands flying up to her cheeks so she could cup them. Tears formed in her eyes, threatening to pour down into her fingers.

"The King would never want that, would he?" Misty asked.

"I said he needed the Privy Seal on his side," Dawn replied miserably, "but then he decided he wanted the Privy Seal a lot closer than just a servant."

"Oh my," May said.

"But... He's just a secretary," Misty said with a pause for thought. "For him to take a wife with royal blood..."

"I don't have royal," Dawn moaned. "I just have the King's blood, the other side of the King's blood. I'm his heir by default, not through blood."

"But..." May said slowly. Two pairs of azure eyes latched onto her as she said this. The initial shock of hearing her master would soon by the very man she feared wore off her, allowing her thoughts to drift elsewhere. "If anything should happen to the King, which I hope not... then maybe having a husband like the Lord Privy Seal would not be such a bad thing."

"How so, May?" Dawn demanded.

May removed her hands from her cheeks, staring at Dawn with a small smile on her lips.

"The Lords would never take orders from a woman, even if she was a Queen," she explained. "With the Lord Privy Seal as your husband, he'd ensure you would be safe. If you're on the throne, he'd be ruling the country."

"He rules the country anyway," Dawn grumbled. She pulled her knees up to her chin, hiding the lower part of her face behind her skirts. "I'm going to be caught in the middle of this, aren't I?"

"Women usually are," Misty said. "Remember the Dowager Queen."

"All we are," May added, "are birth machines and dowry payments. Perhaps every now and again we are home makers, sometimes even mothers, but that is as much as we can look forwards to."

"And if you were a man," Misty said coolly, "you probably would have been strung up with your father."

"Are you saying I owe the Lord Privy Seal a debt?" Dawn snapped the question at Misty. Misty paused before she answered.

"I'm saying, perhaps he'll be a much better husband than you're giving him credit," she said finally.

**So Paul and Dawn are to get married. Bless them. I bet she's looking forwards to that! **

**Anyway, a little more of a light hearted chapter next time for you all. Let me know what you think!**

**RSx**


	5. V

**I think that this is my favourite chapter so far, I hope you agree :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my plot**

**V**

Groggily the sun poured through the window, splashing Dawn's face with light. She stirred slowly, her eyes fighting to keep shut until she heard the hurried whispers of her two maids just the other side of the curtains. She sat up, the fur trimmed cover falling from her shoulders. She ripped open the hangings around her bed, swinging her feet out into the crisp winter morning air. Her feet touched the smooth wooden floor and then padded across the room to the curtains. She threw them open, demanding to know what May and Misty were whispering about.

In her hands, Misty held a letter and a velvet pouch. Both of her maids froze when they saw her stood glaring at them, annoyance etched into her pretty features.

"Your Lady," Misty said, bobbing into a curtsey. "A gift from the Lord Privy Seal."

She extended her hands to show Dawn the letter and the pouch, waiting for Dawn to take them. Dawn glared at them for the longest time before she snatched them out of Misty's hands. She thought about burning both of them in the fireplace but curiosity won her over. She retreated to her room, threw herself on the bed and ripped the letter open.

_Lady Berlitz, _

_Please forgive me for not calling on you today, however, I have been called away from Whitehall to the Tower._

"Oh, my cousin's arrested you already?" Dawn asked the letter.

_I expect business there to keep me away from court for the entire day. _

"Oh, _business_. Racking people again are you?"

_I would like to talk to you about the preposition the King has put forwards to both of us. I imagine your reaction to the King's plans were, shall we say, surprised? _

"Do you want me to take a swing at you, snotty nosed..."

_If you would be so kind as to let me know when I would be able to call upon you. _

"Never. I will never see you."

_Please find with this letter a small token of the friendship between us._

"Ooo, friendship. Affection would have been better, sir."

_I would very much like to start our acquaintance afresh, call a truce on our previous meetings._

"I'll show you a truce."

_Yours, truly,_

_Paul Shinji_

Dawn read the last line again, confused: "I thought his name was Lord Privy Seal, Master Shinji not... Paul. Really?"

She put the letter to one side as her fingers quickly unfolded the velvet pouch, revealing two diamond encrusted hair ornaments. The design was simple, white diamond on gold in a triangular shape, but they were beautiful none-the-less. She ran her thumb over the jewels.

"Not bad," she said. "There may be hope for him yet."

She sat up on her knees, pushing the two ornaments into her hair despite it being messy and needing a brush. She climbed off of the bed again, walking towards a mirror so she could check what they looked like in her hair. The diamonds popped out of her darkly coloured hair majestically.

"Misty?" she called. "Fetch me my quill and parchment. I should really reply."

i

Master Shinji hated the Tower. He had spent far too much time inside the pale stoned castle come prison. The daunting high rise outer walls then the looming White Tower beyond that, it gave the Lord Privy Seal a shudder. How many people had died here? Too many.

He made his way through the Norman built structure, looking round at the modifications previous kings had made. Once inside the walls, the White Tower almost looked pleasant with a neat houses on one wall, paths and garden greens darted here and there. Ravens flew around the grounds, scavenging food. He walked through the grounds, his feet hammering on the cobbled path, his clerks hurrying behind him. His feet knew where they were going so he could leave it to them to take him there while his mind dwelled on other things, namely Lady Dawn.

He wondered if she had burnt his letter and returned the gift he had sent her. Making amends was the first thing he wanted to do, then they could begin to build up a relationship, one that wouldn't drive them to an early grave, hopefully.

Doors opened for him as he approached until he was walking in the dark halls of the prisons. Now his brain engaged again and he chose a cell to walk into. The guard stood by the side of the thick, wooden and metal door, unlocked the latch to allow the Lord Privy Seal in. Once safely inside, the door closed and the latch put back on. The Lord Privy Seal was now alone with the prisoner.

The Lord Baron of Doncaster raised his head when the Lord Privy Seal had entered the room, hugging his thin woollen blanket round his pale body. It was a small room, a bed, a table and a stool lay close together. The Baron was sat in the corner on his stool, feet up on the wood, as he attempted to get warm.

"My Lord?" the Baron said through chattering teeth. "To what do I owe this honour?"

"I come with... tidings from the King," the Lord Privy Seal replied. He had always had a soft spot for the spiky haired Baron, his dark complexion due to his many months away in Spain when he was an ambassador there. He returned to England on King Gary's orders two years ago. Now he was sat shivering in the Tower. The Lord Privy Seal's tone softened at once. "How are you?"

"Freezing," the Baron said. "Could I have another blanket?"

"I'll arrange that for you," Master Shinji said.

"So I'm not going to be released any time soon?" the Baron asked.

"I'm afraid not," the purple haired man said sadly. "But I came to talk a deal with you. I'm going to see if the King would accept it."

"What's that?"

"You will be released from the Tower with your life as long as you return to the Spanish Court as England's ambassador, permanently,"

Here the Baron gave a cold laugh. The noise rung in the cell causing the guard outside to peer through a small peep hole in the door.

"How much power have you lost?" the Baron asked. He uncurled his feet from his body and stood up. He was taller than the Lord Privy Seal by three inches, his eyes squinting like usual. "If you're making deals with the King, I'd be more than happy to get out of the country. Before we were all safe."

Master Shinji gave a loud sigh, not bothering to deny that power he'd lost over night when King Gary had passed away.

"Power is such a fickle thing," he mused to the Baron. "It slips through your fingers then comes running back. It's like a tide: it comes, it goes."

"There's a cell next to this one that's up for rent," the Baron said coyly.

"I have no wish to end up in the Tower," Master Shinji said coldly. "Besides, I think my luck's changing again. Which way I don't know."

"How?"

"The King wants me to marry Lady Berlitz," he replied. He waiting for the Baron to start laughing at him, which he did almost instantly after he'd finished speaking.

"The Lady Berlitz? Marry you? She hates you," the Baron spluttered with laughter.

"I know," the Privy Seal said, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and finger again. "I can't make up my mind if this is a trap or not. Maybe it's a sentence. Maybe it's an apology."

"Has she accepted?" the Baron asked.

"I have no idea," he admitted. "I should be at court trying to speak to her but instead, I am here talking to you, trying to save your life."

"I am very grateful," the Baron said. "Tell the King, if it please his majesty for me to go into his service in Spain, then I have no wish to delay him."

"I will see what I can do," the Lord Privy Seal said. He knocked on the door to tell the guard to let him out.

"And my Lord?" the Baron said as the door opened. Master Shinji paused in the doorway, staring at the Baron. "Congratulations."

ii

As soon as he walked back into the safety of his office, a letter was stuck under his nose by one of his clerks. It wasn't unusual to have an urgent letter thrust upon him as he entered the room but this one was different. This letter smelled.

He took it from the clerk carefully, reading the elegant script of the Lady Dawn. He smirked at the letter, his eyes searching the clerk to see if he also had the gift he sent to the lady ready to give back. There was no such luck, the gift had been accepted it seemed. He hurried into his office for some privacy, closing the door behind him and standing by the fire so he could warm himself while he read the contents.

_Dear Lord Privy Seal,_

_I thank you most earnestly for the gift you have given me. If it will please you, I will wear them to dinner this evening. _

So far so good, he thought.

_I find it very odd to see that you sign yourself as Paul on the bottom of my letter. I have never seen such a document before, it makes me feel most special. Shall I call you Paul or would my Lord Privy Seal do? Having such a name almost makes you seem human._

Here it comes. He smirked, idly walking over to his desk and perching on one corner so he could read but still feel the benefits of the fire.

_I was disappointed that you gave me the gift as a token of our friendship, not your admiration or love for me. Am I not to be your wife, sir? Do I not get your love or must I first earn it? As for admiration, am I not handsome enough for you? I do hope your correspondence in the future will be more tender than the business transaction you passed to me this morning. _

He let out a chuckle here, folding one arm over his stomach as he read on:

_As you may imagine, I was shocked at my cousin's proposal over the marriage. Wounded too as I was the one to suggest you needed a woman in your life. Perhaps he thinks us a good match. I do not think he is correct in this matter but one does not argue with the King of England. I promise to be a good wife to you as long as you promise me to be a kind husband, that is all I ask. Given our past, I will not give you my trust so freely as any other man. You struck me, I will never forget it. You are also rude, arrogant and your temper is something to behold. _

"Ha!"

_You may visit me at your pleasure during the day when my ladies are present._

_Yours, Lady Berlitz._

So this is how it was going to be, was it? A battle of wits? A battle of quills? Oh the King would be enjoying this, wouldn't he?

He took up his proper seat at his desk, pulling out a clean sheet of parchment so he could write a reply.

_Forgive me, Lady Dawn, for the manner I addressed you in my last dispatch. I am a business man when all said and done, and as such do not usually take pleasure in writing to my others. I will be your humble servant in this matter and try to correct myself. _

He smiled as he continued to write the reply, barely looking up when one of his clerks popped their head through the door. They edged into the room slowly, not making a sound until the Lord Privy Seal had finished writing.

"Yes, Kenny?" he asked, still not looking up at the brunette clerk.

"Sorry, my Lord," Kenny mumbled. "The Duke of Somerset requests an audience with you."

"Let him wait," Master Shinji replied with a growl. He finished the reply to Lady Dawn, sealing it with his personal wax seal then passing it to Kenny for him to take to the Lady in question. Kenny bowed and left, allowing the Duke of Somerset to barge into the room.

"Your Lordship, to what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked the angry Duke.

iii

"_Forgive me, Lady Dawn, for the manner I addressed you in my last dispatch. I am a business man when all said and done, and as such do not usually take pleasure in writing to my others. I will be your humble servant in this matter and try to correct myself. However, I find that your hypocrisy in the way your signed off your letter to me, Yours, Lady Berlitz, to be quite unforgiving. If you wish me to write to you as my wife to be, then I would like to learn how to be a suitable courtier by your example._

"_I am humbled that you find my gift to your tastes, even if they are given out of friendship, not the admiration you so dearly request. My Lady should not fear, you already have a place in my heart. I will be waiting on baited breath to see you wear the ornaments in your hair later on this evening. When I walk into the great hall I will see you straight away for you are the brightest, loveliest creature in any room,_" Misty's voice trembled here as she read the letter out to the giggling May and Dawn.

"So sweet," May laughed.

"_My business in the Tower has not kept me from my desk as long as I thought it would do. Would it be pleasing for me to come to your room after dinner?_ The rascal wants to come here tonight?" Misty sounded appalled.

"Perhaps he's too busy in the day," Dawn said with a shrug.

"Go on Misty," May urged her. Misty walked round the room as she continued to read the letter to her companions, smile well carved into her face now.

"_I beg you to forgive my past behaviour towards you. My temper, my arrogance and my rudeness, alas, are the charms of my job: as you put it in your own words more than once, I am an asshole. _Oh my, Lady, did you really call him that?" Misty asked. Dawn climbed out of the window seat, grabbing the letter from Misty's hands as May laughed like a little girl. Now Dawn inspected the paper, returning to her seat. May peered over her shoulder as she took on the role of reading out the letter.

"_I still give you merit for naming me thus. I am sure I cannot surprise you with any of my behaviour. I may have shown you the worst aspects of my character, but I hope that I have also shown you tenderness, empathy and friendship as well. I know you to be a very kind and passionate woman, a lady whose beauty is only eclipsed by those two characteristics alone. _That's laying it on a bit thick, isn't it? _Alas, I may not be able to see you this evening, my dear, after all for the Duke of Somerset has decided to pay me a visit. By the expression on his face, I think the Duke means to kill me._ Oh Lord, that would be amusing to see him try and kill you. _Yours, lovingly, Paul._" Dawn read the letter over again, biting her lip. "I think he is challenging me. I can practically see that devilish smirk as he wrote this at his desk."

"He did as you asked him," May said.

"Yes, at least he listens to you," Misty agreed with a bitter tone. Her husband was not one for paying attention to his wife. It was a shame really for she was the one with the sense.

"I have a place in his heart? He has a heart?" Dawn re-read a few of the lines. "I'm a hypocrite?"

"He got you at that one," May said. "You did sign off your letter like you were writing to one of the Duchesses."

"But... And my beauty is eclipsed by my kindness and passion? What lady in their right mind would like to hear that?" Dawn asked.

"I would like any complement that's as nice as those in that letter," Misty said. "He says you are the loveliest creature in any room then pretty much says that there is more to you than the way you look. How are you still stood here? I'd be running to him, begging him to marry me before he changed his mind."

"I don't think he will change his mind," May said. "It's an awful good letter, isn't it?"

Dawn didn't reply. She got to her feet, hurrying over to her writing desk so she could write a reply.

"Oh no," May whispered to Misty who nodded blankly. Dawn scribbled something on a piece of parchment, then rose from her chair and went into her bed chamber. Seconds later she reappeared, sprinkling something onto the paper before she folded it up and sealed it with her wax seal. She passed it to May.

"What did you write?" Misty asked as May hurried to deliver the letter. Dawn smiled, throwing her chin over her shoulder and turning her back to Misty.

When the clerk entered the room where the Lord Privy and the Duke of Somerset were currently having a shouting match at each other, he feared that his life may be at risk. He shuffled into the room, placed the blank letter onto the desk and shuffled out again.

"I will tell his Majesty just what kind of a man you are," the Duke was threatening. The Lord Privy Seal frowned at him, reached for the letter and ripped it open, not taking any care of its contents. "You are a money grabbing, power hungry-"

Then the Duke coughed. He heaved and wretched, much to the Lord Privy Seal's amazement. He looked down at the letter finding a fine dusting of something in the parchment. Poison? He read the note.

_This should help._

He ran a finger through the dust, raised it to his nose and sniffed.

"Cinnamon?" he muttered. The Duke looked up at him, eyes watering, throat closing up. His cheeks started to turn pink as he wheezed for breath.

"Cin-a-mon?" he choked. He didn't wait for another word, clutching his throat he ambled out of the office leaving the Lord Privy Seal to smirk at the door way.

"Well, well," he said to himself. "That is most interesting."

He turned the letter over, looking at the wax seal. It was from Lady Dawn. Perhaps she didn't hate him after all.

**Dawn saved Paul from a load of pain. See, she does like him really! It's the countdown to the big day in the next chapter :)**

**Let me know what you think!**

**RSx**


	6. VI

**I have to admit I'm not in a great place at the moment. Not only have I got a horrible cold but I am really struggling on my MA course, having had my writing shredded for a second time this week. I have to admit I'm feeling a little sore from it XD**

**Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

VI

The great hall was brimming with life as Dawn stepped into the hustle and bustle. Rich silks and velvets flurried around her. She tiptoed around dancers, past gentlemen, bowing her head politely as people greeted her most warmly. Misty and May followed her, changed out of their waiting clothes. Instead Misty wore a rich sapphire blue dress that swished with heavy velvets with each of her steps. She played with a sapphire ring on her finger, smiling widely as people parted out of her way. May stared round, her hands clasped in her ruby red skirts as she looked round for her parents. They should be there, she thought, among the crowds.

"You two may go," Dawn told them from over her shoulder. The pair of them scattered instantly, Misty towards her husband while May went in search of her parents. Dawn continued on wards, smiling at more people as they hurried towards her to wish her well. She blushed as someone remarked on the two sparkling hair ornaments in her hair.

She paused as she saw the Lord Privy Seal. He was wearing his usual black, talking quietly with a clerk. She changed her direction and walked towards him, her eyes flashing with mischief as she put one foot in front of the other. He must have sense her coming because he dismissed his clerk and turned his dark eyes onto her. He bowed his head as she stepped up to him.

"Lady Berlitz," he said steadily, bowing.

"My Lord Privy Seal," she replied curtly. "I see the Duke of Somerset did not run you through after all."

"No, my lady," he replied, his lips curling into a smile.

"Shame," she commented. She went to walk away from him but he held out his hand.

"Would you like to dance, my lady?" he asked. She had to do a double take at this very question, not quite expecting this.

"You dance?" she blurted out.

"Of course," he replied. "I've been at Court long enough to know how to dance."

He held out his hand for a moment longer and was about to drop it when she grabbed it, a cattish smile spreading on her lips as she wrapped her fingers around his.

"Well, lets see how well you can dance, sir," she said.

The King watched on with an amused smile as Dawn and the Lord Privy Seal stepped onto the dance floor. The room hushed at the action but only for a second before the Earl of Winchester and his wife stepped forwards too.

"He dances," the Queen stated as the Privy Seal did the first few steps of the dance. The King nodded once. "Not bad for a farmer's son."

"He dances better than me," a low voice quipped from beside the King. Cyrus turned to give his friend, Giovanni, Duke of Gloucester, a smirk. "He's going all out to win her over. Forever the servant."

"He likes her," Norfolk commented on the other side of Gloucester. "He always has ever since he interrogated her when her father was on trail for treason."

"Why, what did he do to her?" Cyrus asked. Ursula leant forwards to hear what Norfolk had to say, her eyebrow rising with interest.

"It's not what he did to her, it's what she did to him," Norfolk replied. "I think she argued with him. He does not say."

Cyrus watched as the Lord Privy Seal twirled his cousin round with all the grace of a Duke. He didn't do things by halves, Cyrus thought. Tell him to marry someone and he will make them fall in love with him. He took a swig of his wine, scowling as his cousin leant in to whisper something in his ear. What ever she said made him smirk and reply with a short word or two. It appeared as though the pair were courting quite merrily but there was something in the way they held each other – distant. It was all for show. He wasn't sure if he was proud or saddened to see it.

The music finally stopped and the pair bowed to each other before the Lord Privy Seal took hold of Dawn hand and walked her towards the King. His free hand went behind his back as he walked, his eyes darting around to see who was watching him. Dawn was smiling brightly, a soft sheen of sweat making her complexion glow in the candlelight.

"I hate this dance already," she said to him out of the corner of her mouth. He slowed his pace slightly to give her more time to talk to him privately. "It's all a show isn't it?"

"If you want it to be," he muttered in reply.

"My ladies thought your letter was very nice, very pleasing for them. I know you far too well to take so many truths from it," she went on. He stopped walking, turning her round so she had to look at him. Her eyes flashed with confusion and anger at being stopped so suddenly.

"I think you judge me too harshly, Lady," he said.

"Do I?"

"Those ornaments do suit you," he commented, eyes darting to her hair.

"I thank you for it," she said, "but I prefer amber."

"You always challenge me, my Lady," he said, not unkindly. "Why?"

"I like to see you rise to the challenge, my Lord," she replied. She blinked then looked at him from underneath her eyelashes. "My Lord."

He let her glide away from him, a smile playing at his lips while he watched her take her seat next to the Queen. She sat down with soft humph, her eyes wandering over the Lord Privy Seal as he turned his back to her and walked out of the hall, no doubt business to attend to.

"It really doesn't become you to be sarcastic," he told her a few hours later as he walked around her rooms, eyebrows raised as he took in the décor. Tapestries hung on the back wall, curtains on the other two: one for the windows, the other as a divide for her bedchamber. He noted the large long table in the centre of the room, four chairs tucked underneath the table top and a large floral centre-piece in the middle. The fireplace was on the back wall between the tapestries with two long plush chairs placed around it.

He paced up and down, his hands tightly clasped behind his back as he walked this way and that. Dawn watched him curiously as she sat beside the fire, warming her aching legs. She had danced a lot tonight.

"And it's very odd to see you dance," she said.

"I thought you liked dancing?" he asked, turning his head to look at her. She nodded her head, stretching out her legs in front of her. Upon her silence, he decided to continue: "I've always liked to watch the courtiers dancing. I can't say I enjoy dancing myself."

"Well, the whole room was staring," she muttered. "Why did you offer to dance?"

"You like dancing. I thought you would enjoy it."

"Do you know what else I like to do?" she asked, leaning forwards on her seat, smiling at him.

"Aside from writing witty letters, poisoning the gentry and harassing me?"

"Yes."

"I suppose you like to go riding since you grew up in the country. I've had the pleasure of seeing your artwork too. Also, your father was keen on music so I would gather you played an instrument out of habit?"

"How very clever of you," Dawn commented. "What do you like to do?"

"I see, I had to guess your hobbies, now I have to tell you mine," he said, raising an eyebrow at her. She pouted at the challenge but remained silent as he walked towards her so he could sit opposite her. He sat down carefully, tucking his coat underneath his legs. An amused expression rested on his face as she thought about his hobbies.

"Do you actually have any hobbies apart from working?" she asked.

"I do," he admitted with a nod. She thought a moment longer, her eyes tracing up and down his body.

"I'm not sure what you would enjoy doing," she said finally. "Perhaps creating better ways to torture people or planning strategies for the take over of this realm."

He barked with laughter: "This is how you see me?"

"You dress in black all the time, like the grim reaper of court," she replied.

"It's my colour," he said. "What would you have me wear instead?"

She didn't comment.

"Well, since you are dying to know," he went on, "I like to write."

"As a clerk, I expect that," Dawn said.

"I keep diaries," he clarified.

"Of your day? What do you say about me?" she asked.

"That you are one of the most annoying, troublesome, brilliant women I have ever met."

"My, my, you do know how to flatter a woman, don't you?"

"I like to... keep to the truth."

Dawn rose from her chair very suddenly, heels clicking against the wooden floor until she reached the window curtains. She pulled them so she could see outside into the gardens below her window.

"When we are married," she said clearly, "I'll have to move out of these rooms, won't I?"

He thought about it for a few moments, merely out of politeness because he always planned ahead. He knew that there was not enough room for the both of them in her two roomed apartments but if she was going to kick up a fuss about it, then there was no real sense fighting her.

"I would prefer to move to my apartments," he said slowly. "I have four rooms including a study where I can work at night. There will be a spare room for you to use as you want."

"And are there any gardens?" she asked.

"No," he admitted. "But the view from the bedchamber is quite something. It's also closer to the Queen's bedroom so you would be able to meet with her often."

"I see." But she didn't. The room fell silent as she stared out of the window, her eyes twinkling with tears. Slowly she stepped back from the curtain, turning to face the Lord Privy Seal. "Forgive me, I am suddenly feeling unwell."

"It is a big change," he said but not off topic. "but I hope to make it as comfortable for you as possible. You are the heir to the throne. My priority is keeping you happy and healthy."

"Really?" she asked. "Am I such an important chess piece for the throne?"

"No," Master Shinji replied. "If I wanted, I could quite easily over ride the Act of Succession that your cousin passed within days of his ascension, but I'd much rather keep to my books and accounts. I'm a lawyer, not a King."

"Are you saying I'm unsuitable to be a Queen?" Dawn asked, whipping round to glare at him.

"No," he said calmly, his features quite calm in spite of her snapping tone. "I would never wish the position of Queen on anyone. A Queen has no privacy. She is property of the state, a cargo holder, an heir maker. She has very little function than to look pretty and keep quiet. Poets write about her fashion, the colour of her cheeks or the sparkle in her eyes but they never ask her how she is, how she feels. A Queen is a very drab position to be in."

Dawn was stunned by his little speech. Despite it sounding like it was rehearsed, she felt he was being truthful about his feelings. She stood awkwardly for a few minutes before walking back to her seat, playing with her fingers nervously as she took up residence facing Master Shinji.

"You don't want to use me to get closer to the Crown?" she asked.

"I'm already far too close to the Crown than I would like to be," he replied. "If I may, I would like to move you away from the Crown too. I think it's poison. King's come and go so quickly."

"And yet their Lord Privy Seals remain for an age," she commented.

"I've been the longest in office," he said. "I have no idea why. Perhaps it's because I started young. Perhaps I've been lucky in my Kings. I thought my luck was changing until the other night when the King asked me to marry you. I thought he hated me. I thought you hated me, but it is thanks to you that he thinks so well of me."

"It's my own fault," she admitted.

"Yes," he agreed. "You are so very troublesome."

"My Lord Privy Seal," she said, sounding a little resigned to her fate now.

"Paul," he corrected her.

"Paul – no, that's far too strange – Privy Seal, I must ask you a favour for when we get married."

"Anything."

"That my cousin doesn't make it into a grand event like his coronation. I want a small wedding, private if possible. The King, the Queen, Norfolk, my ladies, my mother, your family-"

"I'm not inviting my family to Whitehall, no."

"Why?" she asked. "They are your family."

"My family are farmers," Master Shinji snapped, "and my brother is highly annoying."

"Well, you do take after him."

"I will see about the private wedding in any case," he told her, ignoring her dig at him. "I assume you want to pick out your wedding dress?"

"Yes," Dawn said hurriedly. "That will be great, thank you."

i

Her gown was almost as pale as she was as she gripped her cousin's hand tightly in her own. To be given away by the King on her wedding day would usually have been a great privilege, an honour, but she didn't feel as though it was today. She was being forced into marrying a man she didn't really trust and the whole gentry was watching her every move. The Privy Seal had planned a quiet ceremony in the small chapel in the palace at Whitehall but that hadn't stopped the King parading her around the palace in her wedding dress. It was his sign of defiance against the Privy Seal. Were they really still trying to beat each other over the power they exerted?

"Cousin, don't be nervous," he told her coldly, "today is the happiest day of your life."

She was going to say something sarcastic back to him but then she remembered he was the King and could quite soon cut off her head if he wanted. Instead she nodded, nibbling her lip as she was finally lead into the church, masses of Lords and Ladies hovering outside the door. She relaxed a little when she heard the heavy oak door shut behind her, her shoulders relaxing and her steps becoming easier. She was marched down the aisle to where her husband to be was waiting, blank faced as usual. The King stopped short of the steps up to the altar so he could lift up her veil and reveal her pale features to the world. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek then stepped backwards. For a second or two, she stood dumbly on the spot until the Lord Privy stepped down one step, his hand extending towards her.

She took it slowly. His fingers were warm but not sweaty. Didn't this man ever worry about anything? He lead her to a kneeling pillow which she paused at before she knelt down. He copied her motion and went to take his hand from hers but she refused to let go. He half glanced at her petrified face then turned to look at the minister.

As the ageing man began speaking in Latin, signalling the cross with his fingers, Dawn's grip on the Lord Privy Seal's hand intensified. He wasn't alarmed by this, nor did the action register any emotion on his face. He was too enthralled in looking at the priest in front of him, eyeing the jewel encrusted robes and the tall arched hat on his head. Slowly, to calm her, he ran his thumb over her freezing fingers, spreading a little warmth into the flesh. She relaxed at the simple movement.

Was this the sort of husband she was getting? Was he always so comforting? Maybe she had judged him far too harshly or maybe it was an act he was putting on to show good faith to the rest of the family. Her mother was upset by the match.

"That cruel clerk who put my husband to death is going to marry my poor, innocent baby?" she had cried when she realised just who Dawn was marrying. No way to make the whole situation worse, was there?

She was jolted back to reality when the Lord Privy Seal said something. It sounded like 'I will'. The priest now inclined his head to Dawn, asking her something in Latin that she didn't quite understand given the claustrophobic feeling that had just come over her.

"She does," Cyrus said from the crowd. The priest paused looking at his King then back at Dawn.

"Please," the Privy Seal said in a hushed whisper. She thought he was talking to her but when she turned her head to look at him, he was looking at the priest. "Could you repeat that for her, in English?"

Realisation lit up in the priest's eyes and he nodded before saying to Dawn: "Will you take this man as your husband until death parts you?"

"I will," Dawn said quietly. She wanted to sound a little less scared than she was but she became aware that she was shivering. The Privy Seal pushed a ring onto her finger gently. She looked at the ring, the amber colour of the stone causing her to stare at it for a good few seconds.

The priest straightened up and said the last few things in Latin before the Privy Seal got to his feet, Dawn hurrying to do the same. She allowed him to lead her back through the church, eyes unfocused as the doors opened.

"The worst is over now," he muttered to her.

"Is it?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied. He glanced at her, smiling despite his annoyance. She looked petrified. "I thought you could speak Latin."

"I can," she said. "I just... didn't understand what he was saying, that's all. I panicked."

"It's fine," he assured her. "Just try to relax. We can retire early if you're feeling unwell."

"Wouldn't that make me seem a little eager?" she snapped at him in a hushed whisper, well aware that people were watching them still.

"Not if I stay behind," he said. His voice was calming, gentle. "You look unwell."

"I'm petrified, that's why," she said. "I hate people looking at me like... like I'm the prized pig at the farmer's market."

"Don't be ridiculous, you're not a pig," he said, smile broadening on his face. "Pigs are less troublesome than you are."

"Asshole," she muttered. He gave a quiet chuckle as she glared daggers at him. Upon hearing his laughter she relaxed a little bit more, suddenly the gaze of the people milling around her not bothering her one bit. His hand tightened around hers in a comforting manner. Now she was his wife. He would protect her from everyone else. Right?

ii

"Push a pillow under your hips," Misty muttered to her as she combed Dawn's hair. Dawn blushed scarlet at what Misty had just said, muted out of mortification.

"Oh my," she hissed, "I forgot about the wedding night."

"How could you?" Misty said, giggling slightly. "It's the only incentive for men to get married."

"Oh, Misty, how do I get out of it?" Dawn asked, her eyes pleading with Misty's. Misty gave a laugh, tugging Dawn's nightgown upwards.

"Why, you pull it over your head," she said as a joke. Dawn buried her face in her hands, angry tears pouring into her palms as she thought about the up coming humiliation she would have to face. Misty resumed brushing her hair, still smiling at her joke. It was rare that Dawn could be teased so easily and Misty was not one for ignoring an opportunity. "Has your mother ever given you the talk about the one eyed-"

"Lady Ketchum, please stop distressing her."

Dawn's blood ran cold. She slowly took her hands away from her eyes so she could look at her new husband across by the doorway. He was shrugging his thick coat off his shoulders, scowling at the orange haired Lady brushing Dawn's hair.

"Get out," he told her. Misty quickly put down the brush, bobbed a curtsey and left the room with not so much as a good luck. Dawn stared at the Lord Privy Seal as he threw his coat down on a chair then walked over to her. He picked up the hair brush, moving his hand to get her to face the mirror so that he could take over Misty's chore.

"You look beautiful with your hair down," he commented.

"I don't want to sleep-"

"No new bride ever does," he said, a smile flashing across his features then disappearing. He continued brushing her hair softly, hardly pulling on her head. "I used to brush my sister's hair when I was younger. She used to sit on a stool and tell me: Paul, brush my hair, I am the Queen."

Despite herself, Dawn smiled.

"The sweat took her when I was in France," he went on. "She was married, two children. My brother and I were left with the orphans. They live with my brother now."

"They say you've been married before," Dawn stated.

"No, I haven't," he said. "While in France I did promise myself to a young French girl and we did live like man and wife for a short while. Then she left me for a squire because I was far too poor for her taste."

"I bet she's kicking herself now," Dawn mumbled. "You're rich now."

"Hmmm," he said with a nod. "Not too rich, though. A lot of the money I receive from my trading and accounting business goes back to the crown in taxes. I have enough to live off of."

"And now you have my riches," Dawn said.

"I'll leave them to you," he told her.

"I thought you loved money," Dawn said, looking at him through the mirror.

"I love _my _money," he admitted. "I don't like taking other people's."

He placed the brush on the table gently. Then he put his hand in his pocket, digging something out for him to show her. He produced a pouch, placing it in front of Dawn on the table. She slowly unwrapped the gift, eyes widening when she saw what it was. It was a beautiful amber necklace with stones big enough to make the Queen's jewellery look obsolete and tiny. Each stone was expertly set, glowing with a rich colour.

"To match your ring," the Privy Seal said, whispering in her ear. He leant into her, kissing her cheek. Dawn felt a flash of nostalgia when his breath tickled her ear. She didn't want to remember the interrogation, not today, but his actions were so like then. She closed her eyes, biting her lip as she cradled the necklace in her hands.

"Thank you," she said. Please, she wanted to say, please don't make me. He must have sensed her thoughts because he drew away from her, walking over to the other side of the room so he could remove his jerkin. She watched him through the mirror, finding it odd to see him in such a matter of undress. The jerkin was tossed on top of his coat. Underneath the jerkin he wore a white under shirt with a high neck. He then kicked off his knee high boots, pushing them next to the chair. He seemed to realise he was being watched now, turning his head to stare at her reflection.

"What?" he asked. He didn't sound like him suddenly, much rather confused than the Lord Privy Seal she was used to.

"Nothing," she replied. He began to untie his breeches, pausing as his gaze returned to her innocent one through the mirror.

"Your last husband never shared a bed with you," it was a statement.

"No. We never shared a room. I was one side of the house, he was on the other," she replied. He nodded once.

"The King is having us on, isn't he?" the Lord Privy Seal said, eyebrows raising as a smirk washed across his face. He held out his hand, telling her to come over to him. She slowly stood up, turned around then walked towards her husband as if she was on her death march. He reached for her hand with both of his, placing it gently against his chest. He was warm. Underneath the shirt and the flesh, she could feel his heart beating. Happy that she was preoccupied with feeling his heart beat, he took his hands from hers, putting them around her shoulders so he could pull her into him. As she came closer, his hands trailed down her spine back to rest at the middle of her back. She placed her head on his shoulder, tears springing into her eyes.

"Do you want me to destroy him, sweetheart?" he whispered to her. He put his cheek against her forehead.

"Yes, please," she muttered back, unable to stop the tears rolling down her cheeks.

iii

Cyrus didn't expect his Lord Privy Seal to be so normal the day after his wedding. He expected a little spring in his step, a smile or some little comment about the night before but he was as expressionless as usual. He arrived at the King's chamber at nine with his dossier full of things needed to be done that day. They sat at the long table in the King's parlour, the morning sun peeking through the windows.

"Did you actually go to bed last night?" Cyrus snapped, irritably as the fifth document was placed in front of him to sign and stamp.

"Of course," the Lord Privy Seal replied calmly. That is all he said on the matter, changing the conversation to a more business like tone. He pointed out the key things about the document, only falling silent when the King signed it. He was quick to pour the wax next to the signature so that Cyrus could stamp it with his seal.

"So?" the King asked.

"So what, sire?" the Lord Privy Seal asked in reply, their cold eyes meeting. Did he really have to ask?

"Will I have to tell my wife to expect a new member of our family or did my cousin manage to beat you off with a stick?" Cyrus said finally, a smile crawling onto his lips as he imagined his cousin smacking his Lord Privy Seal. The Privy Seal didn't say anything for a second or two then he reached into his dossier for another piece of elegantly written parchment. He placed it on the table in front of the King, still silent. "Oh I see."

"Sire?"

"She did beat you up, didn't she? I bet you had to sleep on the floor."

While the King scribbled his name on the bottom of the parchment, Master Shinji rolled his eyes. Was the King just being perverted or nosey, he couldn't be sure.

"No, sire," he said finally. "Although she blames you for the whole experience of yesterday."

"Why?"

"You're the one who told us to marry," the Privy Seal said. "And that is the last order of business today."

"When did you have time to do all of this work?" the King asked, suddenly interested. They'd both been busy at the wedding then the feast the day before so how could the Privy Seal still have work to give to the King at nine o'clock the next day.

"Oh, these have been sat on my desk for the past fortnight," the Privy Seal admitted. "My Captain in France always said to look busy even when you haven't got anything to do."

"Sound advice," Cyrus agreed. "You can go if that's all you need me to do."

"Majesty," Master Shinji said with a low bow. He then excused himself. He was mobbed by people as he walked through the great hall. He managed to wave most of them away, brushing past the remainder as he continued through the great hall. He was stopped by the Earl of Winchester as close to the main entrance.

"A word," the Earl said, his usual goofy expression was gone. He seemed completely serious about whatever he wanted to talk to the Privy Seal about. They huddled into a corner so they could talk privately for the time being.

"It is about the Lord Baron of Doncaster," the Earl mumbled.

"I presume he got to Spain in one piece," the Privy Seal quipped, secretly glad that he had made it without being attacked by pirates or anything in that nature.

"He sent me this," the Earl continued, slipping him an unsealed letter. The Lord Privy Seal took the letter, glancing around to see if anyone was watching them before he read the contents.

_Ash,_

_Please let Misty know I arrived safely at the Spanish Court. The King has been more than courteous in welcoming back after my absence, despite knowing I'm only here because of the crisis in England. _

_Many people are remarking that the King of Spain does not like the fact King Cyrus has taken up the crown in England. He says it gives him many worries about the future. There is even talk of war between the two countries. I will report to you if I hear anything sufficient. In the mean time, please alert the Lord Privy Seal. He should know what to do and may be able to influence the King._

_Please send me news as often as you can._

_Brock, Lord Baron of Doncaster_

The Lord Privy Seal scowled at the paper then passed it back to the Earl who quickly folded it up and slipped it into his pocket.

"Thank you," he mumbled to the Earl. "I will write to the Lord Baron immediately."

The Earl nodded and walked away, fading into the crowd instantly while the Privy Seal thought about the letter. He continued to think about it even when he walked into his private rooms. He paused at the door, smelling the scent of rose water drifting from the bedchamber.

"Dawn?" he called. The first reply he got was a splash followed by:

"Don't come in, I'm in the tub."

Like he cared about that. He walked into the bed chamber anyway, looking across the room at a frozen May in the corner, then turning to look at the back of his wife's head. She was quite happily washing her arms, one leg dangling out of the tub.

"Why do you sit like that?" he asked her. She jumped. Her arms dropped to cover herself while the leg slung over the side of the tub splashed back into the warm water.

"I told you I was bathing," Dawn snapped.

"I'm your husband, you should get used to me being around you, even when you're not wearing anything," he told her. "Maple, out."

"Yes, sir," May said with a bob. She ran out of the room, making herself busy in the other room instead. His attention returned to his beetroot red wife sat in the tub. She turned herself round so she was laying on her front, her hands gripping the edge of the tub and her two large sapphire eyes peering over the top of them. Her feet rose out of the tub at the other side, resting toe side on the metal edge of the tub.

"How long have you been in there?" he asked.

"Since you left," she replied. She moved her head so that her chin was now balancing on her hands.

"That was well over two hours ago," he said. He went to step forwards but Dawn stopped him with a splash.

"Come any closer and I'll scream," she warned.

"I have to get past," he said, pointing to the cabinet on the wall behind her. She glared at him. She was not going to let him get that close to her. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," she told him. "It's embarrassing."

"I'm your husband," he said.

"I don't care," she snapped.

"Why don't you get out, then?"

"Well you're still stood there. And my robe is on the bed."

He looked to his left, finding the offending garment spread on top of the blankets. He grabbed it and went to give it to her when she raised a finger at him. He rolled his eyes then clamped his hand over them, his other hand holding out the robe for her to take. He heard the water swish in the tub as she climbed out. Seconds later the robe was ripped from his grasp but he daren't remove his hand from his eyes.

"Are you done, yet?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. He took his hand away finally, squinting in the bright light. She was stood on the other side of the bed, running a brush through her hair. Seeing she was engaged, Shinji continued to the cabinet, wrenching it open and collecting some parchment and a quill.

"Is that all you needed?" she asked him. "There's plenty of parchment and ink in your office, go there."

"Sush," he warned her, raising his finger to his lips. He returned to the cupboard, pulling out a lump of wax and a brass stamp. "This is a personal letter."

"So?"

"So I don't want to use the paper from my office. It's quite distinguishable. This is not," he told her.

"So you're sneaking letters past the King now?" she asked. He gave a frustrated grunt as he walked back into the parlour. He set down his writing things on the writing desk in the far corner of the room. Dawn was close behind him, interested in what he was doing, well aware she was just wearing a robe and nothing else.

"Who are you writing to?" she demanded. The Privy Seal looked round at her, glaring menacingly at her. His eyes darted over to Misty and May who were stood folding sheets by the long table in the middle of the room. They were watching the couple like a pair of spies.

"Tidy up the bath tub," he barked at the pair and they shot off into the bedchamber. He turned to Dawn now, his voice lowering. "I am writing to the Baron of Doncaster. I've heard he has made it to Spain."

"And?"

"And I would like him to try and get hold of something for me that you can only get on the continent."

"And that is?"

"Do you have to be so nosey?"

"You're writing to people, ambassadors, without using the proper channels," she hissed at him. "How do I know you're not plotting with the Spanish to overthrow the King?"

"Fine," he said, rolling his eyes. "If you must know, I'm looking for saffron."

"A spice?"

"It's quite good for medicines," he lied.

"You're lying," she accused him. "I know you are."

He rolled his eyes, turning his back on her so he could start writing the letter to the Lord Baron. He began writing in his usual flawless cursive handwriting.

_Lord Baron of Doncaster,_

_I hear you have arrived in Spain and are well looked after by the King. Upon arriving, I hope you have found the climate and the city to your liking, although I feel that the summer in England will be warm this year. You may be disappointed to hear. _

_I would beg of you, if you would, to send me a small pouch of saffron at your earliest convenience. _

_As you may have heard, I have had the pleasure of being married to the Lady Dawn Berlitz. I am hoping that married life will suit me as well as it does Sir Ketchum, however, my wife currently thinks I am a felon. Can you imagine?_

"Hey!" Dawn yelped in his ear, causing him to grin. He turned to look at her.

"It is the truth, isn't it?" he asked.

"But still, you shouldn't tell him that," she replied in a half moan. He continued his writing before he dusted the paper with sand, folding it up and sealing it with green wax. He stamped the wax with the brass seal, leaving it on the table to cool. Dawn eyed the paper carefully before she was brushed aside by her new husband.

"I need to go now," he said. "Leave that there."

"Yes, husband," Dawn replied sarcastically. She gave him a small curtsey before she turned and made her way back into her room so that she could finally get dressed.

iv

The couple ate tea together in silence which was odd because they usually got along so well. The Queen sipped at her goblet regally while her husband neatly cut up his meat with a sharp knife.

"It's a shame Dawn couldn't join us," Ursula said out of the blue. "Maybe we should invite her and her new husband to dine with us one night."

"I would prefer not to," Cyrus replied. "Not the Lord Privy Seal."

"He can't be that bad, surely?"

"You don't know him," Cyrus said. "He's a servant through and through. He has nothing to talk to a king about."

"Maybe your cousin?" Ursula suggested. "That's a common talking point."

"How he's defiling her?"

"... Fine, maybe not."

They lapsed into silence once again. Ursula wondered what Dawn and her husband would be talking about during their dinner. Probably nothing, she decided. Nothing the Lord Privy Seal had to say was strictly to Dawn's liking.

"No," Dawn gasped as Master Shinji placed his goblet down on the table. "Really?"

"Of course, why do you think the Lady stays round the Queen's rooms?" he asked her. Dawn giggled like a young girl, holding her hand to her mouth.

"I never thought of it that way," she admitted. "What else do you know?"

"Far too much," he said. "I know a lot about everyone. For example, Lady Goldenrod, is expecting her first child."

"Lady Whitney?" Dawn asked. The Lord Privy Seal nodded. "That's really good. I heard that her and Morty had been trying for an age."

"So is Lady Blackthorn."

"No."

"Scary isn't it?"

"Yes," Dawn said. "I will stay away from her if I can help it."

Dawn dabbed her mouth with her napkin then placed it on the table next to her plate. She got to her feet and walked over to her new husband, placing her hands on his shoulders. She ran her fingers through the black fur of his coat wondering where he'd gotten such rich material from. Her hands forcefully kneaded his muscles underneath the fabric.

"What are you doing?" he asked, not that he was complaining.

"My mother used to do this to my father after dinner," she replied. "Is it not a normal thing to do?"

"I have no idea," he said. His eyes closed and he sank back into the chair. Dawn continued to massage his shoulders finding that the muscles were knotted under his clothes. How stressed was he? She stuck her thumb into his flesh making him grunt from pain but when she attempted to pull away, he told her not to. "I spend far much time huddled over."

"I can see that," she said. "Your shoulders are riddled with knots."

"I never had anyone to care about me before," he told her. "I pleased myself. Ate very late into the night. Slept for a few hours between midnight and five o'clock. I worked the rest of the day. Now, I guess, I will have to stop that."

"Yes, I don't want to be woken up at five in the morning," Dawn moaned.

"Well, you're a lady of status. I bet you've never seen five in the morning before," he teased her. She replied to him by sticking her thumbs deep into his back. He chuckled at her futile attempts to hurt him. His head rolled back and he looked up at her. "It is true."

"I have seen five in the morning before," she snapped. "The day when my father was dragged out of his bed by you and your guards."

"I'm sure that was seven o'clock," he mumbled in reply. "You have to pay guards more to get them up before six."

"And my father wasn't worth the extra money?"

"No, it wasn't worth the extra hassle."

Dawn huffed, clawing at her husband's shoulders until a hand shot up and grabbed hers. She froze on the spot. Had she hurt him? Maybe he was going to hurt her now. The Privy Seal pushed himself so that he was sat properly now. He tugged at her hand, pulling her round until she was sat on his lap. She placed her hands on top of her skirts, staring at him in the eyes. He stared back at her, his eyes darting round her face then to her hands.

"Thank you, my shoulders feel much better now," he said.

"You're welcome," she replied. "Why am I sat on your lap?"

He jiggled his knee causing one of her hands to fly out and grab his thigh. He chuckled at her, placing a hand on her knee to steady her.

"This is what my father used to do after dinner," the Privy Seal explained. "Of course, he'd thank my mother for cooking the food on our table. Tell her that she was a magnificent woman who had given him so much."

"And what are you going to tell me?" Dawn asked. The Lord Privy Seal leant forwards.

"You are a very troublesome woman," he whispered. She squeezed his thigh tightly causing him to laugh again. When he leant back into his chair, still chuckling at her, she attempted to get off of him. He allowed her to stand up and walk back to her chair where she threw herself into the seat, her eyes focused in on his face.

"I hate you," she told him. The moment the words left her lips, she regretted saying them. He didn't say anything, merely grinned at her as if he knew that she didn't mean it.

"We have much to work on," he said. "I should stop teasing you."

"If you do, how will I know when you're unwell?" she asked. He stared at her quizzically for a second or two before she spoke to him again. "The way you look at me sometimes, you're eyes so filled with concern, it scares me more than you hitting my head on a table."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know what you're going to do next," she said. He reached forwards, offering his hand to hers. Slowly, she put her hand in his, watching as his fingers wrapped themselves around hers. "Because before, you were going to marry another woman and you left her."

"For as long as I will live, I will protect you," he promised. "She betrayed me when she left me. I never saw the point in running after her. Perhaps I didn't love her like I thought I did."

"And you'll never betray me?"

"No, I won't. I promise I will never betray you," he said. He raised a finger at her. "But I want you to promise me that if anything bad happens, a revolt, a rebellion, whatever, you should betray me and go to the winning side."

"How can I do that?" she asked.

"Because, I am telling you to," he replied steadily. "I want you to live. Being married to me can be detrimental if I was on the losing side. Save yourself. That's what I'm asking you."

"I promise," she agreed slowly, nodding her head. Happy that she meant it, he pulled his hand away from hers and slunk back in his seat. "Paul."

He cocked his head to the side as she said his name.

"You were right," he said. "My name does sound weird."


	7. VII

**Hi everyone! Sorry I've not updated in a while but I've been busy :(**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**VII**

When Kenny came into his boss' office with a grimace splashed across his face, Paul knew it was going to be a very long day.

"What now?" he asked.

"The King requests that the christening should take place in York," Kanny replied, handing the Lord Privy Seal a sealed letter from the King. Paul took it, ripping the letter open and reading it. A laugh rolled off his tongue then he placed the letter down on his desk.

"How is the Queen today?" Paul asked.

"She threw a vase at me," Kenny whined. "With flowers in it. Said that I smelt bad and to get away."

"Don't take it personally," Paul told him. "Certain smells can cause her to throw up."

"She's eating like a horse," Kenny went on. "She ate three apples while I was stood there. Just went chomp chomp chomp."

"She's eating for two now," Paul said.

"It's all very strange," Kenny said. "Why is her pregnancy causing her to ask so strange. Perhaps its the child taking over her body."

"I doubt that," Paul said.

"Has your wife told you that the Queen dismissed her out of her rooms?" Kenny asked. "I was surprised not to see her waiting on the Queen."

Paul paused to think, frowning because he couldn't remember Dawn telling him that the Queen had kicked her out. Perhaps she was sulking about it.

"No, when?" Paul asked.

"Yesterday. They had a massive argument and then the Queen told her to leave," Kenny explained. "The ladies thought it was ever so scary. Poor Lady Dawn."

"Dawn can take care of herself," Paul mumbled. "She's more than capable."

"You've been married for about two months now, haven't you?"

"Yes," Paul said with a nod, "just a little over two months."

"And things between you two are... good?" Kenny asked. He knew he was treading on thin ice here. Either the Lord Privy Seal would tell him to get out or kick him out. No one was allowed to as him about his personal life but Kenny supposed that he didn't use to have a personal life until he married the Lady Dawn. To his surprise, Paul nodded.

"She hasn't smothered me in my sleep yet," he said brightly. "I take that as a positive sign."

"I suppose so," Kenny said, not quite knowing how to respond. He was about to ask Paul another question about the Queen when Dawn burst through the door. Kenny and Paul stared at her blankly wondering why she was panting and looking quite put out.

"Don't tell me the Queen's arresting you," Paul snapped at her.

"Huh? Oh, no," Dawn replied quickly. She turned her gaze onto Kenny. "Out."

Kenny scurried out of the room, closing the door behind him. Dawn glanced at the door and banged her fist on it. There was a yelp on the other side of the door.

"Please do not abuse my staff," Paul told her. He meant to tell her off but the comment sounded quite amused. He was expecting her to tell him something but she began pacing up and down the room, playing with her fingers. Paul decided to ignore her, returning to his paperwork. He looked at the letter from the King once again wondering how they would be able to have a christening in York rather than Westminster. It wasn't like they could have a precession all the way north because the baby would be far too fragile. Likewise, the baby had to be born in London so that the Lords could see it was the Queen giving birth. Parliament had to be notified as soon as the baby cried its first cry.

Perhaps they could have a ceremony in York a few months after the birth. Paul raised a finger to his lips as he thought about this but a strangled cry from Dawn caused him to look around. She was now on her knees on the floor, rubbing her hands on her face.

"Are you sure no one is coming to arrest you?" he asked.

"No," she snapped.

"Then what is wrong with you?"

She fell silent, burying her head in her face. Paul shook his head, turning back to the letter. Perhaps he could talk the King into doing that, he resumed his train of thought. The baby would be able to get strong enough for the precession and the Queen too. That had to be it.

The door of the office opened.

"Privy Seal-" it sounded like Norfolk coming to tell him some news but he only managed to get those two words out before Dawn whipped round.

"OUT!" she yelled. Norfolk was no idiot. He quickly vanished from the doorway and closed the door behind him.

"What are they doing?" Paul heard the Duke ask his clerks on the other side of the door.

"You're trying my patience now," Paul told her. "I do have work to do. Tell me what is wrong or leave."

Dawn turned herself round again so that she was looking at him. She placed her hands in her lap, looking down at them.

"You need to tell the King something," she mumbled.

"What?" he asked. He automatically thought she had done something to upset the Queen. How much damage would she cause by getting into an argument with the Queen, he wondered.

"I think... Well..." she stuttered. "Ever since I was a girl, I kept track of when I... When I..."

Paul arched an eyebrow at her, utterly lost at what she was talking about. Sensing he didn't know, Dawn put her hands round her mouth and whispered one word.

"Bled."

"OK," Paul said slowly. He put down the letter, now intrigued.

"But... Erm..." she stumbled over words now. "I... I haven't bled yet."

"Sometimes its late," Paul told her. He returned to the letter, adding: "Don't worry yourself."

"For two months?" she asked. Paul paused, his eyes becoming unfocused on the letter. He slowly put the letter down onto the table.

"You think you're pregnant?" he asked.

"Do you?"

"Poor Kenny," Paul sighed. Dawn frowned at him, not quite understanding what he meant. Was he accusing her of cheating on him? Paul turned to her. "He doesn't like being round the Queen while she's pregnant. Now you may pregnant too."

"Poor Kenny? Poor me! Have you ever been at a birth? It's horrid. There's blood and poo and screaming... the screaming..." Dawn put her hands up to her face. Her shoulders shook as if she was weeping into her hands. Paul couldn't help but smile at her. He stomped over to where she was sat and slowly knelt in front of her. He rubbed one of her shoulders.

"There, there," he comforted her. "Don't worry about it. There could be a possibility that you're not pregnant."

"I threw up this morning," she sobbed. "Just before I came here."

"Is that the first time?"

"Yes."

"Then it could be anything," he said steadily. He hooked a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. A few tears fell from her eyes but he wiped them away. "It's not the worst thing in the world if you are."

"Why?" Dawn sniffed.

"Because the Queen will make sure she has a healthy son the moment she knows you're pregnant too," Paul said. Dawn's eyes narrowed into a glare and she pulled her head away from his hand.

"Is that all you can think about?" she spat at him. Realising his mistake, he held his hands up to show her he meant no harm. "I am really freaking out here. There could be a... thing inside me. I could be having your devil spawn."

"How am I the devil?" he asked her.

"Because... Because I say so," she replied. With a sigh, he got to his feet and returned to his desk.

"Norfolk?" he called. There was a pause then the door opened again. Norfolk's green hair poked out behind the door, his eyes on Dawn. "What do you want?"

"The King wants to see you about the nursery," Norfolk said, eyes still on Dawn. "As soon as you can. He's waiting."

"I will be right there," Paul told him. Dawn glared at him again, pointing at the door to tell Norfolk to leave. The door clicked shut again.

"You're just going to leave me?" she asked.

"You're free to come with me if you want," he replied, reaching for his leather dossier.

"But... I just want to cry," she said.

"Dawn, do you know how many women I've had in here over the years telling me they're pregnant with the King's child?" he asked her. She shook her head. "More than I can count on my hands."

"But I'm different," she said. "I'm telling you I'm pregnant with your child. That has to ring some alarm bells for you."

"The chances are slim," he told her. "We were only together on our wedding night, never since."

"But it does happen," she mumbled.

"Let's just wait and see," he said. "It could be anything. Stay calm. What will happen will happen. You can not change it."

He walked over to her, offering her his free hand so that he could pull her to her feet. She accepted the help but when she was on her feet she did something Paul wasn't expecting. She leant into him and put her arms round his waist.

"I know I am pregnant," she muttered into his chest. "I know it."

He nodded, placing his hand round her shoulders and giving her a quick squeeze.

"Then go back to your room and rest," he told her. "I'll go to the King then I'll come to see you."

"OK," she muttered.

i

She waited for him to come back from his meeting but there was still no sign even after two hours. With a huff, she turned over the hour glass beside her bed and watched the sand trickle slowly from the top orb to the bottom one. Where could he be? Did he forget about her?

The sound of his heavy feet alerted her to his presence. She looked over her shoulder, about to give him a piece of her mind when she noticed there was a trickle of blood rolling down his head. She sat up.

"What happened?" she asked.

"There was a brawl," Paul replied. He walked over to her dressing table, looking at his wound with a grimace. "Somerset vs Richmond."

"Who won?"

"Not me," Paul said. He winced slightly as he pressed his finger against the injury. Fresh blood spouted out of it.

"Don't do that," Dawn squeaked. She scrambled off the bed, pausing to get a clean handkerchief out of her top drawer then hurried over to him. She pressed the cotton against his head, shooing his hands away. "If you play with it, it will get infected."

"Then would you have to cut it off?" he asked, smirking at her.

"I'm always tempted," she replied. "However, your head's far to big for a normal block. We'd have to have one custom made."

"I'm honoured."

Dawn smiled at him as he fell silent. It was nice to see him letting her take care of him just like a wife should do. She dabbed his wound, biting her lip as more blood poured out of it. It came out slower this time.

"Why were Somerset and Richmond fighting?" she asked.

"I have no idea," Paul replied blankly. "The King and I were talking when a commotion broke out in the next room. We went to investigate and Somerset threw something at me."

"What did he throw?"

"I have no idea," Paul let out a sigh. "It was metallic and hard, that's all I can tell you."

"Luckily your head is harder," Dawn teased. Paul grunted at that, amused.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, attempting to make other conversation other than his injury. The pain drummed in his head dully in a steady rhythm. He needed something else to think about other than the pain.

"Queasy," she replied. "Why did it take you so long to deal with the fight?"

"Because the Queen showed up just we'd got Somerset and Richmond settled," Paul explained. "She had a hissy fit at me about you then had a go at the King for making me marry you. You need to apologise to her."

"Fine, fine," Dawn said.

"Between the two of you, you will drive me insane," Paul mumbled. Dawn pressed the handkerchief into his head a little bit harder. Pain exploded in his head and the next moment he had pushed her away from him and turned his back to her. It was an automatic reaction to the pain, he decided. "Sorry."

"Stop putting your fingers up to it!" Dawn yelled at him. She hurried around him, gently pressing the handkerchief against his wound. She put his hand on top of the material then stepped backwards. "Seriously. You've got ink all over your hands."

"Fine," he grunted. "Thank you nurse, now may I go?"

"No!" she shouted. He winced at her volume. "I've waited two hours for you to get here. I want to talk to you about all this."

Paul checked the handkerchief to see what state his head was in. Upon seeing the puddle of blood on the white material, he decided he wasn't going to be able to do any work. He ushered Dawn into the parlour and settled himself by the fire. Dawn sat down opposite him.

"Page?" Paul called. He grimaced, his voice coming out a lot louder than he'd have liked. A young boy ran into the room and bowed.

"Please go to the Privy Seal's office and tell them he will be taking the rest of the afternoon off," Dawn told the page with a smile.

"Yes, my lady." After another bow, he was off.

"We shouldn't tell the King," he told her. "Not yet, not until we're sure."

"OK," Dawn said with a nod.

"And then we should down play it," Paul went on. "The Queen is carrying the next heir. Nothing should out shine that."

"I guess so..." Dawn said but she was still a little annoyed that the Queen would get all the glory. Didn't Paul care at all that he would soon be a father?

"The spare room," Paul said, nodding through to their bedroom. "We can use that as a nursery. Do you want to sort it out?"

"I can do that?" Dawn asked, her annoyance forgotten.

"Sure," Paul replied with a lofty shrug.

"The Queen wasn't allowed to plan her nursery," Dawn said triumphantly. "Can I name the baby too?"

Paul thought about this then shook his head: "I think we'd enjoy it more if we argued over names."

"Hmm," Dawn said. "I think you're right. I'll draw up a list."

"Great," Paul muttered. Dawn stuck her tongue out at him. "Remember that you're not the Queen."

Dawn looked at him oddly. Of course she knew she wasn't the Queen.

"You do have a lot more freedom with your baby than she will. You'll be able to nurse it, care for it and see it on a daily basis. She won't be so lucky," Paul explained. Dawn nodded slowly. "In the mean time, I want you to take care of yourself. That means no getting into trouble."

"Tell no one but May and Misty," he went on. "Tell them if they breathe a word of your condition to anyone else, they will have to deal with me."

"Yes," Dawn agreed. She seemed to think about something for a few moments, the cogs turning in her head. Paul watched her, a small smile appearing on his lips. After being alone for so long, he couldn't quite keep up with his growing family. He'd barely had a wife for a few months and now he was getting a child too. Dawn looked into his gaze, a wide grin on her face. "You should get me a present."

"For what?" he asked. The smile was gone, now he frowned.

"For getting a child first time," she replied happily.

"Yes, because that's what ever man wants," Paul quipped. Dawn pouted at him.

"Can I get a new dress?" she asked.

"Why?"

"For being with child."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because... you're not the first woman to get pregnant."

"But... I'm the first woman you've got pregnant... right?"

"Of course you are," Paul stood up. Honestly, he thought, could his wife get any crazier than she was before? Dawn got to her feet too, stomping towards him until she was an inch from touching him. She sized him up while he glared down at her, challenging her to demand anything else.

When Misty entered the room at that moment, she gathered the pair were just having one of their arguments. She didn't bother to ask while the Lord Privy Seal was bleeding. Perhaps Dawn had already taken a swing for him – she'd been threatening for days. Misty wouldn't usually pay attention to their escapades but this one suddenly took a turn for the weird when Dawn put both of her hands on Paul's jerkin and pulled him in for a kiss.

Misty blanched. Had she just really seen that?

Paul seemed dazed by the sudden turn of events too, his entire frame going rigid as Dawn's lips attacked his own. His eyes drifted over to Misty. Later, she knew she would laugh at his expression but at the moment, it wasn't funny at all. He had no clue what had gotten into Dawn and neither had Misty.

Eventually, Paul wrapped his arms round his young wife and kissed her back, the bewildered expression not leaving his face. They stood like that for a few moments, Paul pulling Dawn tighter to him and her pulling him closer into the kiss. Suddenly, Dawn pulled away from him, stepping backwards so she was an arm's length away from him. Paul folded his arms across his chest, expecting an explanation. Misty expected her to swing for him now but again she did something unexpected. Her hands drifted to his hands. She clasped them tightly.

"I think some thing's very wrong with me," Dawn said. "Because I really, really want to go to bed now."

Misty looked between them, utterly confused now. Paul's face was twisted with fright rather than confusion.

"OK," he said. "Go to bed then."

"Are you going to join me?" Dawn asked, biting her lip in a rather seductive manner. Misty choked, clamping her hand over her mouth when Paul half glanced at her. Paul seemed torn. One part of him seemed to want to run away but the other was far too frightened to make a break for it.

"Do I have a choice?" he asked her. Dawn shook her head slowly. She began walking backwards slowly, dragging Paul with her. He attempted to dig his heels into the floor but that only made Dawn tug on his hands harder.

"Misty, if we're not present later, please make excuses for us," Dawn told her friend without looking over at the red head. "My Lord Privy Seal is not feeling well."

"Yes, my Lady," Misty said awkwardly with a bow.

"And take the rest of the afternoon off," Dawn added, flashing a smile at her this time. "Tell the pages not to let anyone in."

"Yes, my Lady," Misty repeated, again with a bow. Paul threw her a worried look as if he wanted her to help him but she was completely powerless. Instead she turned on the spot and hurried out of the room.

ii

"Do you think anyone missed us at dinner?" Dawn asked him a little later on as they lay tucked under the fur lined blankets. She stared up at the canopy of their four poster bed. Paul shrugged next to her.

"Probably," he replied, "more you than me."

"Hmm," she agreed with a hum. She pulled the covers further up herself, trying to hide from Paul. She felt dirty like every fibre of her being was caked with mud and grease. Her hair was damp and her throat hurt. She was a complete mess.

She turned her head to look at Paul finding that he was laid with one arm under his head. His lips were parted and his eyes darted this way and that as if he was deep in thought. His eyebrows creased, a problem forming in his mind.

"Are you thinking about work?" she asked him.

"No," he replied.

"You are, aren't you?" she said with a sigh. Here she was wondering how much of a whore she was while he pondered the state of the kingdom. He tilted his head slightly so she could see all of his face.

"No," he repeated. "I was just wondering how I got to here."

"I dragged you, don't you remember?" Dawn said. He smirked at her comment, ignoring the note of self loathing in her tone.

"Not that," he told her softly. "How I ended up being married to you, how you came into my life and when I started falling in love with you."

"You're in love with me?" Dawn gasped. Paul turned his head so that he was looking at the canopy once again then nodded slowly.

"I think so," he said.

"Oh... Thank you, I guess," she mumbled. "I didn't think you did."

"I think I do," he said, a little more sure this time. He nodded. "Seventy-five percent sure I do. Maybe eighty."

Dawn smiled, turning to look at the canopy too.

"When did you realise that?" she asked.

"Hmmm," he thought about this whilst humming to himself. "I'm not sure. Our past hasn't been the best setting for a love affair, has it?"

"No," Dawn almost laughed. "No, it hasn't. I think you're better than Somerset."

"That's good," Paul said. A smile fluttered onto his lips. At least she could admit to that even if she didn't love him. His stomach flipped nervously. What if she never loved him? The smile faded into a frown, his jaw became set as he ground his teeth together.

Beside him, Dawn turned over so that her body was now facing him. She looked him up and down, noting the annoyed expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I don't know what came over me."

All the emotions on Paul's face vanished as he turned his head back to her.

"Hmm? Oh, it is nothing," he said. "Women do silly things when they're with child."

"But I feel like I've used you," Dawn moaned. "I feel gross. I'm all sweaty and I'm so embarrassed. Honestly, I don't know why I did any of it."

Paul chuckled to himself.

"Stop laughing," she went on. "I'm serious! You know that I didn't like it the first time so why would I suddenly want to spend an entire afternoon in bed with you?"

"An afternoon and an evening," Paul corrected her.

"You should have stopped me," she told him.

"I daren't," Paul said, looking directly into her eyes. "I was scared. You were very frightening, I assure you. You could have made me do anything, I was completely under your control."

"Really?" Dawn asked. He nodded.

"It may surprise you that I don't like intimacy," he admitted. "Not like this."

"Is that why you never pressured me into my 'wifely duties'?" she asked, using her fingers to quote the last two words. Paul nodded. "But you do things all the time that are... intimate. Like whispering in my ear, that time you gave me your coat and when you held me on our wedding night."

"Hmm," Paul thought for a second. "I've told you before, you bring it out of me. It's like you draw me in but when your... nudity is involved, I'm just not very good at dealing with it."

"Don't you think I'm good looking without my clothes?" Dawn asked.

"I think you're the most beautiful creature on this planet with or without clothes," Paul replied. "I just think that, considering our age difference and your modesty, I'm much more uncomfortable with you."

"There's twelve years between us," Dawn stated. Paul nodded. "I never thought about it that way before. I mean I know you're way older than me but sometimes you don't act it."

"When?" he snapped.

"Like that!" Dawn said, smiling. She sat up and pointed at him. "Just like that. When we argue you turn into a right child."

"I do not," Paul retorted.

"Ha, just like that!" Dawn said. Paul realised he'd walked right into one of her traps. He let out a laugh, rubbing his eyes with his hand. "See what I mean?"

"Yes," he replied, nodding. "I do."

Dawn seemed pleased with herself, smiling ever so smugly that she'd managed to get him to agree with her for a change. He watched her smile to herself, celebrating her little victory. With her hair cascading down her bare shoulders and the blanket tucked underneath her armpit, she looked irresistible. The sweat on her skin made it glow healthily. Before he knew what he was doing, he had slid across the mattress and caught her lips with his. He kissed her gently, pulling away slightly when he was done.

Dawn didn't seem shocked that he would do such a thing. She smiled shyly at him, her gaze focusing on the pillow beside his head. He watched her blush, smiling to himself. He reached upwards, cupping her face with his hand. His thumb ran across her cheek gently, caressing the soft skin. She felt so warm. He kissed her again then again then once more, the last kiss lingering as she placed her hand on his cheek to keep him there.

"I really do love you," Paul said when they broke apart, the words rolling off his tongue so naturally.

"I love you too," Dawn muttered. She paused, looking across the room. "I'm about twenty percent sure."

"Twenty percent?" Paul asked, eyebrow arching. "I think I can live with that."

Dawn beamed at him. She wriggled closer to him so that she could curl up beside him. She placed her head on his chest, her hand resting next to her forehead. Paul cupped her shoulders, allowing himself to relax for once.

**I have no idea when I will update again (I'm only half way through the chapter!). **

**On another note, and this is a long shot, but I'm looking for a pen pal to write to. If you're over 20, from the US or UK and fancy writing to me, let me know :)**

**RSx**


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